22 DETERMINANTS OF AQUACULTURE FISH SEED PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA F.O.A. George 1 ; O. J. Olaoye 2 ; O. P. Akande 1 ; and R. R. Oghobase 1 1 Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria 2 Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria ABSTRACT Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production system worldwide and is particularly important in bridging the gap between fish demand and supply in Nigeria. This study was carried out to determine factors affecting aquaculture fish seed production and management in Ogun State, Nigeria, an important coastal and fish producing state. Through structured questionnaire and personal interviews, data were collected from 58 hatcheries and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Major challenges identified by this study include lack of good quality brood stock, high mortalities during larval development, high costs of hatchery inputs and equipment, water quality maintenance and energy-related problems. It is recommended that government should offer low-interest loans for continuous training of fish hatchery operators, who should be mandated to train regularly to update their knowledge on new developments in the industry. These steps should result in enhanced fish seed production for viable and sustainable aquaculture development in Nigeria. Keywords: Brood Stock; Fish Seed; Production; Sustainable Aquaculture; Ogun State; Nigeria INTRODUCTION Fish farming is expanding rapidly throughout the world and has a high potential for the provision of valuable protein in less developed countries (Little & Edwards, 2003). Due to global population expansion, demand for high quality animal protein, especially from aquatic sources, is rising. Increasing the aquaculture production is clearly needed to meet this demand in the third millennium, especially as the capture fisheries resources are declining, due to over fishing, habitat destruction, and pollution (Dunham, Majumdar, Hallerman, Bartley, Mair, Hulata, Liu, Pongthana, Bakos, Penman, Gupa, Ratalishbweg & Hoestgen Schwark, 2001). Aquaculture plays an important role in many developing economies. In Nigeria, aquaculture is gaining increasing importance for employment creation and income generation, particularly in the socio-economically weaker communities of fishermen, which represents the poorest sections of the society in many developing countries (National Informatics Centre, NIC, 2007). Total fish production in Nigeria is estimated at about 30 percent of demand, thus scarce foreign exchange is devoted to the importation of large volumes of frozen fish (ThefishSite, 2009). According to Otubusin (1998), inadequate fish seed supply is a major constraint to aquaculture development in Nigeria. Although domestication of species and advances in induced breeding have enhanced the breeding of fish in captivity and extend the spawning season to a limited degree, it has Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa (Volume 12, No.8, 2010) ISSN: 1520-5509 Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Clarion, Pennsylvania