A pond is overstocked when the carriage capacity of such a pond cannot support healthy growth of certain number of fishes for a period of time between stocking and maturity. Maturity mentioned here is a relative term. For instance, 3 months may be the maturity period for a fish that will be sold in dry fish market (average weight of 600 grams to 900 grams) whereas it could be up to 6 months for fishes that will be sold at Abuja market (average weight of 1kg to 2.5kg). A pond that carries a particular number of fishes successfully for 3 months might not be able to support the same number of fishes for 6 months. Therefore, the concept of overstocking is best explained by making reference to the ultimate carriage capacity of a pond.
