A Comparative Profit Analysis of Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus) Production in Ughelli, Delta State, Nigeria.

This research was conducted using the same feeding regime and stocking density to determine the effect of using two different fish rearing facilities (earthen pond and concrete tank) of the same size (9m x 9m x 1.4 m) each on the profitability of fish raised to market size in six months. Results showed that final mean weight (initial mean weight 13g/fish of catfish (Clarias gariepinus) was greater in earthen pond (0.62 kg) than in concrete tank (0.53 kg). Despite the higher survival rate of 70% recorded in concrete tank as against 65% for earthen pond, the results further showed that the size of fish harvested affected the biomass, which negatively affected the profitability. The fish harvested from the earthen pond gave a profit margin of N78,770.00 as against the N61,000.00 from concrete tank pond. The profit margin difference of N 17,765.00 realized between the two structures demonstrates that, final mean weight of fish reared to market size was greatly influenced by culture media. Keywords: Profit margin, concrete tank, earthen pond, catfish