Husaini Shuaibu Saulawa¹ , Umar Muhammad Ibrahim² , Joel Umaru³

1 Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina, Nigeria
2 Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria
3 Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina, Nigeria
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2026, Vol. 16, No. 5   doi: 10.5376/ija.2026.16.0024
Received: 23 Jul., 2026    Accepted: 12 Sep., 2026    Published: 27 Sep., 2026

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Saulawa H.S., Segun A.S., and Umaru J., 2026, Aquaculture status and women's participation in Katsina State, Nigeria, International Journal of Aquaculture, 16(5): 328-333 (doi: 10.5376/ija.2026.16.0024)

This study provides empirical information on fish farming under different production systems and scales in Katsina State, Nigeria. The objectives were to assess the status and practices of fish farming and determine the level of women's participation in aquaculture enterprises. Primary data were collected from 149 active fish farmers through structured questionnaires and analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The results showed that fish farming was male-dominated, with men accounting for 87.2% of respondents. A total of 56.4% of respondents had 1~5 years of farming experience, indicating that most were relatively new to the enterprise. Most respondents operated small-scale farms using concrete tank systems, and Clarias species were the dominant fish cultured. Greater women's participation should be promoted through empowerment workshops, improved access to credit, extension support, and incentive-based programmes. The findings provide baseline information for promoting gender-inclusive aquaculture development and improving fish-farming practices in Katsina State.

Aquaculture; Women's participation; Fish-farming system; Production scale; Katsina State