The aquaponics production system integrates hydroponics and recirculatory aquaculture system for the simultaneous production of plants and fish. At a time, such as the postpandemic era, the aquaponics system represents an efficient green farming and eco‐friendly alternative to sustainable agricultural production. In this review, the history and development of the production systems were traced vis‐a‐vis its pros and cons. Although there has been much dispute about the origin of the system, the numerous records of developmental attempts in history have all led to the current complexity of the systems and their efficiency. Water conservation, improved performance, food security, less pollution, and low energy consumption are some of the advantages identified in the use of aquaponics systems for food production. Challenges to the domestication of the system, however, include moderately high start‐up capital, the need for stable electricity to operate the system, nutrient availability, as well as treatment of diseases in the system. Although the aquaponics production system could be a panacea for food security in Africa, modalities for the domestication of this technology are largely not in place, hence the need for some government interventions in this regard.

Aquaponics is known to be a smart way of producing fish and crops simultaneously; however, there is a paucity of information about the extents of this system's efficiency over other conventional methods of food production. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate the performance of a catfish–pumpkin aquaponics system in comparison with recirculatory and static aquaculture systems (for fish performance), as well as irrigated and nonirrigated systems (for pumpkin performance). Results obtained showed that the production of fish in the aquaponics system was 29% and 75% more efficient than recirculatory and static aquaculture systems, respectively. The survival of the fish was also significantly improved probably due to better water quality in the aquaponics system. With respect to pumpkin production, yield in the aquaponics system was about five times the performance in irrigated land and eleven times those in nonirrigated land. This study gives definitive evidence to support the efficiency of the aquaponics system over other conventional food production methods.

This study was designed to evaluate morphological differences between cultured and wild African catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell). Fish samples were collected from the lower Benue River (axis in Makurdi), while cultured fish were obtained from the University of Agriculture Makurdi research farm. The results revealed significant sex-related variation in the fish from different environments. Significant differences were observed in all morphometric parameters measured and in three of the five meristic counts recorded. Discriminant analysis and cluster analysis of morphometric parameters showed a high divergence among the populations, hence the tested fish samples were grouped into respective environments by sex. The meristic count, however, overlapped broadly showing no divergence among the populations. The morphometric differences between the cultured and wild African catfish could have been linked to genetic differences or environmental factors or a combination of both factors.

Summary: Breeding and larval performance of novel hybrids from reciprocal crosses of Asian catfishPangasianodon hypophthalmus(Sauvage, 1878) and African catfishClarias gariepinus(Burchell, 1822) were investigated in this study. Spawning was by hormonal injection of brood fish, artificial fertilization, and incubation in triplicate aquarium tanks (0.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 m³) with continuous aeration. Reciprocal crosses (♀C. gariepinus× ♂P. hypophthalmusand ♀P. hypophthalmus× ♂C. gariepinus) had lower hatchability (≤50%) than their pure siblings (≥75%). Fish from all crosses survived until the juvenile stage but survival at 35 days post hatching (dph) was higher for pureC. gariepinussib. ♀C. gariepinus× ♂P. hypophthalmuswas observed to be less resistant to degradation of water quality than the other crosses, however it had higher body weight compared with the other crosses that showed similar performance. Morphological comparison of surviving juvenile at 35 dph, showed that all ♀P. hypophthalmus× ♂C. gariepinusand 13% of the ♀C. gariepinus× ♂P. hypophthalmusexhibited the very same morphology as that of their maternal parent species, while the other portion of the ♀C. gariepinus× ♂P. hypophthalmuscross exhibited morphological traits that were intermediate between those of both parent species. This study been the first successful attempt to hybridize both species and therefore, laid the groundwork for further studies on the aquaculture potentials of the novel hybrids.