Fish Feeds Used in Côte d'Ivoire: Nature, Quality, Use and Productivity

This study was conducted at the Oceanology Research Centre of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire to determine fish feeds nature and quality, factors affected their use, their impacts on fish growth parameters and fish farms production. Data were collected from 301 fish farms distributed in the 16 principal fish production regions, between May and November 2013. The majority of fish farmers (71.10%) used agro-industrial byproducts to feed fish, 27.57% used commercial feeds, 22.26% used non conventional feed and 17.94% mix their own feed. These different types of feeds were used alone or in combination to feed farmed fish depending on the growth stage.  Agro-industrial byproducts and non conventional feed have low nutritional quality. Quality of feeds formulated by farmers varied greatly and not always met the requirement of fish cultured. Only high cost imported commercial feeds met well the nutritional requirement of fish depending of species and size. Agro-industrial byproducts and non conventional feed were most used by farmers localized in the rural area in the extensive and semi-intensive systems contrary to commercial feeds and farmers feeds produced were used by economic operators and salaried in urban and periurban areas in semi-intensive and intensive systems in majority. Agro-industrial byproducts associated or not to non conventional feed were most used to feed tilapia (59.10%), Heterotis niloticus (78.36%), catfish (45.45%) and African carp (100%). Commercial feeds are frequently using (33.33%) to feed bagrid catfish and parachana (33.33%). Highest growth, economic and production values were recorded with commercial feeds in semi-intensive and intensive farming systems. These results express the need to make available for local farmers, quality and cheap fish feeds made with the good processing methods which take into account the requirements of different species and stages of farmed fish.