Table 1. Relative dietary preferences of North African catfish Clarias gariepinus by length group1
	Life stage/Size class
Type of food	Larvae2	Fry3,4	Fingerling3,4	Juvenile3,4	Subadult & adult3,4	Large adult3
		20�50 mmTL	50�100 mmTL	100�300 mmTL	300�700 mmTL	>700 mmTL
Zooplankton	100%	*****	*	*	*
Insects		***	****	***	**
Molluscs		**	***	**	**
Benthic crustaceans		*****	***	****	****
Detritus		*	*	*	*
Algae			*	*	*
Fish			***	*****	*****	*****
Surface scum					*
Phytoplankton					*
Macrophytes					*
1Note: The relative importance of various food items in the diet of Clarias gariepinus is dependent on prey abundance.�
Source: 2 Bruton (1979a); 3Bruton (1979b); 4Clay (1979); TL = total length