Effect of Supplementing Fish Diet with Grasshopper Meal On Growth Parameters of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

Background: The major problem facing fish feed manufacturers and fish nutrition is the increasing competition for the same feeding stuff between man and the fish feed industry due to their conventional status. This has brought about the high price and scarcity of such feedstuffs. This research is aimed at evaluating the potentials of using graded levels of grasshopper as protein sources in the diet of African catfish. Methods: Four feeding trial were set up with percentage inclusions of the grasshopper meal of 0% [diet] 1, 5% [Diet II], 10% [Diet III] and 15% [Diet IV]. The feed was given to the fish for 8 weeks. Fish survival rates, weekly weight gain, and length gain were recorded. Results: The results revealed that the. The survival rate of fish was over 90% for all experimental diets and it was significantly improved in the fish fed on 10% & 5% of grasshoppers (95.97% & 97.5%, respectively) when compared with the control group (91.04%). Percentage weight gain of the control group was significantly lower (803.00 %) compared to fish fed on 5% of grasshoppers (1092.00%). The highest fish length gain was also recorded fish fed on 5% of grasshopper (8.65 cm) while the least length gains (5.43 cm) was recorded for the control group in relation to all other fish groups which have received grasshopper at all inclusion levels. Conclusion: It is concluded that grasshopper inclusion in diet has the potential to enhance the survival rate and modulate growth parameters in Clarias gariepinus. Therefore, Grasshopper can be used as a feed additive in aquaculture to improve fish growth and production.