1. PANGASIUS HYPOPHTHALMUS
– ITS INTRODUCTION TO NIGERIA/AFRICA BY TALON NIGERIA LTD.
WRITTEN BY:
DR. S.O TALABI; MR. MUYIWA COKER AND MR KAYODE ONI.

2. History
Pangasius belongs to the family of catfish living in the Mekong river and its estuaries in Vietnam. (See Map of Mekong river – next slide.)

4. There are two members of these family that
started the aquaculture success that is,
Pangasius hypophthalmus (Tra)
Pangasius bocourti (Basa)

5. Pangasius are native of Mekong River as it had been earlier said but travel down the streams of Thailand, India and China. They are migrant fish going up the river when ready to spawn and travelling down the river as juveniles. They like warm water and the wet season that last in Mekong delta from March until late October each year.

6. In the year 2006, 60,000 metric tons was produced in the fish farms of the Mekong Delta and by 2010 over one million tons was produced. The fish is distributed already into 6 markets of the world and it is also one of the most successful white fish species of all times. ( com.Vn)

7. The best most spectacular family member from the Mekong is Pangasius gigas, that is the giant catfish, that can grow up to 3metres and a weight of Kg, with the largest catch on record being a female 2.7metres long and weighing 293Kg.

8. There are others belonging to the same family who have become very famous nowadays for they started the aquaculture success in Vietnam, the Pangasius hypophthalmus, called “Tra” in Vietnamese and the Pangasius bocourti called “Baga”.

9. Some 15 years ago, a group of French Biologists visited Vietnam to research and classify the Pangasius in the Mekong river. Up till then, the species was mostly unknown and the French took the challenge to change this situation; and in doing so, they changed the world of Pangasius.

10. Together with the Ang. Giang fisheries Company (today called “Agifish”) in the main river where Pangasius lived; they cross-bred some of the Pangasius stocks to develop a farmed animal that can be fed and reared and produced in a hatchery.

11. The first they researched into was the Pangasius bocourti also called “Basa” by the Vietnamese. This fish needs 12 months to grow to market size of about 2Kg of weight and gives a white fillet meat of high fat content.

12. The French built River Cage and put the fish into this to be fattened by a mixed food of rice bran and small river catches. Up to the juveniles necessary for these cages had to be caught from the wild. The Pangasius bocourti became an immediate success; also as an export fish.

13. But the real breakthrough for the Pangasius aquaculture in the Mekong Delta came when Pangasius hypophthalmus Vietnamese “ Tra” could be developed for farming.

14. PANGASIUS FROM TALON FARM

15. WHY PANGASIUS IMPORTATION INTO NIGERIA?
Pangasius hypophthalmus fries were imported into Nigeria two and the half years ago, under license from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, as a consequence of the felt needs to diversify Nigeria’s aquaculture breeds, and to ensure such breeds like Pangasius which are not carnivorous; are disease-free; can thrive on 100% plant foods especially rice bran and soya bean cakes.

16. The whole idea is to ensure that Nigerian consumers have access to other fish species apart from Clarias species. The other fish specie Tilapia niloticus was also considered a good candidate for importation from Thailand since it has become impossible to get a pure Nigerian Tilapia niloticus.

17. TILAPIA FROM TALON FARM

18. It is the only white catfish in the world and this makes it an acceptable fish in the whole world.
Adult Pangasius can reach up to 3metres in length and weigh up to a maximum of 44kg.
The table size can weigh up to 2kg in 6 months.

19. They prefer large water body with shallow depth.
Pangasius catfish are a freshwater fish that natively live in a tropical climate and prefer water with temperature between 22-26oC.
They feed mostly from the ground, have no teeth, in the wild they are omnivorous and diet consists of Crustaceans other fish and plant matters.

20. The fish has not been used before for it was mostly a bottom feeder and could have some problems in taste through this habit but since the development of an industrial produced enhanced floating feed that could be taken by the fish from the top of the water surface also Pangasius hypophthalmus could be used and farmed successfully.

21. And this fish has all benefits of a fantastic
aquaculture fish on its side. It is fast growing – it
needs only 6 months to reach itsweight of 2Kg.
The fish is very robust.
Known next to no disease.
Need no high Oxygen level in water unlike Tilapia.

22. Low protein feed content compared to Clarias.
It is succulent and palatable.
Nowadays, some 98% of the exported Pangasius belongs to the Hypophthalmus species.
They do not cannibalize.

23. PANGASIUS PRODUCTS FROM TALON R & D FARMS.
The fries were imported from Thailand some 21/2 years ago for the first time and we try to raise them in plastic production tanks (for the first time in Nigeria) before moving some of them to concrete tanks, plastic tanks and retain some in plastic tanks to monitor their growth rate.

24. The fish were stocked in the following manner:
500 pieces at 100g each into 200ltrs plastic tanks fitted with Talon re-circulatory system.
500 pieces at 100g each into 200ltrs concrete tank (raceway).
500 pieces at 100g each into a rubber line.
500 pieces at 100g each into an earthen pond.

25. Earthen pond at Talon Farms for breeding fish

26. Earthen pond on Talon farms with geo - membrane lining

27. Talon concrete tanks with feeders for the fish

28. Talon Water Re-circulatory system on Talon Farm

29. Bio-filtration system for the water re-circulation on a client’s farm

30. Cascadia Sedimentation Tank

32. Oxidation platform for air, ozone and UV application in a recirculatory system for 700 tonnes of cat fish/ annum (designed and built by Talon Nig. Ltd)

33. The fish are weighed every ten (10) days. See the table below:
Days/containment 10 20 30 40 50
Plastic tanks
100g
114g
127g
152g
174g
191g
Raceways
120g
135g
180g
202g
250g
Rubber lined pond
111g
140g
150g
162g
Earthen pond
110g
155g
170g

34. With the above data we realized that fish in race
way grows faster than every other one but the
observation at the long run was that:
1. Stocking density affect those that were in plastic tanks because when they were stocked 200 pieces per 2000ltrs they double the size in one month.

35. 2. Looking for brood stocks we found that when those in plastic tanks weigh 5kg each they have no eggs and there was no sign of milt from the male. Whereas those in earthen ponds weigh 2.2kg with eggs and milt.

36. The products are as follows:
Pangasius fingerlings
Pangasius juveniles
Pangasius gutted table size
Smoked Pangasius at 500g
Pangasius fillet at 1kg

37. In the natural environment the reproductive season starts from May to June. In artificial reproduction, the fish become matured and fertile early through sophisticated water temperature management and can lay eggs earlier than in the natural environment. Each female Pangasius can have 67,000 eggs.

38. In South-East Asia, Pangasius hypophthalmus grow in three different farming situations: in wooden river houses, with cages placed right in the stream, in the “Quang” that is a fenced part at the shores of the river were the fish is placed and in earthen ponds. We intend to try Pangasius in cages before the end of the year.

39. Industrial Building and filling of the Mould for the Talon floating system is carried out in VITAPUR/Vitafoam PLC in Nigeria ensuring rapid production and uniformity; the first factory in Africa..Current capacity is 20 cages per day.

40. Completed Talon Fish Floating Cage System, with nets ready for stocking of fish

41. Talon Floating Cage Close up (10 module arrangement)
Talon Floating Cage Close up (10 module arrangement) * other arrangements are possible

42. Conclusions of our research project shows that:
Pangasius table size with good stocking density grows faster and can attain 2kg minimum in 6 months.
Pangasius for brooding stock should be stocked in earthen ponds or large water body and shallow depth.
Pangasius should be stocked in the right density at juveniles, if not they become runts.

43. Polyculture can be done with Pangasius.
Pangasius hypophthalmus and Tilapia
Pangasius hypophthalmus and Clarias gariepinus
Pangasius hypophthalmus, Tilapia and Clarias
All the above can be done together without any problem with good stocking density

44. Rearing
Conditions in which the Pangasius are reared:
Temperature – 25oc
pH – 7.2
Do – 5mg/L

45. Feeding
Rannan
crown feeds from Akinsateru farms, and
Vitafeed of different sizes are used in feeding them.

46. Behaviours of the fish
They are sensitive to light
They move in cyclic form
They are bottom feeders but can be trained to eat at the surface
They are easily agitated by sound

47. They do not eat when you are close by the tank or pond side.
When there is a change in temperature, they stop eating
Stress from sorting, counting or weighing prevents them from eating for about three days.

48. Fingerlings production
Fries are imported and raised to fingerlings stage and then sold to farmers that are interested. The fingerlings are Oxygen packed in 25kg polythene bags with average of 250 pieces. Juveniles are also packed the same way but quantity packed is about 150 pieces.

49. Fillet
Fish are harvested with dragnet from concrete tank or earthen pond or if it is in plastic tank, it will be drained. The fish is transported live to the processing unit; make them unconscious by pouring ice on them, bled by gill cut after which they are filleted by hand.

50. There are different qualities and colours appearing
in the Pangasius fillets resulting from the different
farming or the processing situations.
The main colors of the fillet are:
White
Pink
Yellow
The different colors have been separately processed
in the past and nowadays often mixed qualities and
colors can be found in the containers.

51. The trend goes to mixing these colors – but some of them like the deep yellow fish are not suitable for the European market and can be only sold in Asian or Eastern markets like Russia. So it is always important to have a clear understanding of the market so that one will know what to produce.

52. The fish fillets are then trimmed and plate frozen packed in polybags or block frozen and packed in cartons then transported to our clients.

53. Frozen Pangasius
The fish are harvested gutted, properly washed then packed in the freezer 24 hours and then stored in a chest freezer for the next supply. We always maintain the cold chain to the end user.

54. Iced Pangasius
The fish are bled, properly washed put in a
cooler with ice placed on it.
We transport immediately.
Smoked Pangasius
The fish are dragged, properly bled, and drained.
Then soaked in salt and EU approved flavour for
15 minutes. The flavoured fish are then set on the
tray and then transferred into the smoking kiln at
the temperature of 120oc – 150oc for 24 hours.

55. Note: The following data were recorded after
one year of rearing Pangasius hypophthalmus in
Talon R & D farm:
200 Pangasius in 2000L plastic tanks were reduced to 100 pieces and at the end of 12 months we have average weight of 4.5kg. No eggs or milt found.

56. 500 pieces in rubberline (5 metres by 25 metres) was reduced to 350 pieces and we have average weight of 1.2kg. Eggs and milt found but not mature.
500 pieces stocked in raceway were not reduced but have average weight of 2kg.
In the earthen pond we have average of 1.7kg with enough eggs and milt in the female and male.

58. Dr. Talabi S.O 08055234252 Plot 979, 641 road, 6th Avenue,
Festac Town Lagos.