Full Project – Welfare profile of African catfish (Clarias Garipinus) exposed to senna occidentalis leaf powder

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background Information

African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) is a typical air breathingscale less, fish, with elongated body with long dorsal and anal fins and a helmet like head. Color varies dorsally from dark to light brown and is often molted with shades of olive and grey while the underside is pale cream to white (Skelton, 2001). It can grow very large with a maximum reported length of 170 cm (Adeparusi et al., 2010) and weight of 60 kg (Akwukwaegbuet al. 2016). The African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) is widely distributed in Africa freshwater and Middle East (Golubtsov & Mina, 2003). In Ethiopia, it is widely distributed almost in all water bodies such as in the rift valley, Abay, Awash, Baro-Akobo, Omo-Gibe, Tekeze and Wabishebele-Genale basins (Awoke, 2015). It also contributes to the Ethiopian capture fisheries (Adeyemi, 2009).The African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) is a warm-water fish with increasing commercial importance worldwide. For instance, the production of this species in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) increased in Germany between 2019 (1,193,137 kg year⁻¹and 2011 (318,575 kg year⁻¹) (Admasu et al., 2015). Due to its high tolerance with regard to adverse water conditions, including low oxygen and high ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate concentrations, the African catfish can be reared under high stocking densities (up to 500 kg m⁻³ ) (Alemayehu, 2009).

However, rearing fish under very high stocking densities might negatively affect the welfare and survival of the fish (Dadebo et al., 2014). This issue can possibly be overcome through the use of Senna Occidentalis leaf powder, which can be used as feed additives and contribute to the increased fitness and survival of the fish (Tugie & Taye, 2004). The welfare of African catfish has previously been assessed by analyzing the behavior, external injuries (i.e., skin lesions), cortisol, glucose, lactate, growth, and mortality of the fish in several studies covering different stocking densities, group compositions, ages, individual differences, and different rearing systems(Dadebo, 2009).African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) are the major commercially cultured species in Nigeria for good market reasons. Since 2000 there has been a rapid expansion in urban aquaculture and a significant development in high density catfish culture (Otubusin et al., 2009). As a result of this intensification in African catfish production, the aqua feed industry grew and moved from the days of research in fish nutrition and fish diet started at NIOMR (Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research) where a laboratory size pellet mill was established for that purpose to a thriving industry of about 12 commercial aqua feed producers in Nigeria and companies who import high quality floating feeds from Netherlands, United State American and Europe (Limbu, 2015). As such there is currently in the market an assortment of both imported and locally manufactured pelleted floating catfish feed brands (Keremah & Beregha, 2014). Fish feed alone accounts for at least 60% of the total cost of fish production and the nutrient composition of feed influences feed utilization and ultimately the growth of fish (Corn’elio et al., 2014). Given that feed is the highest recurring cost in African catfish culture, the catfish farmer who is now besieged with different catfish brand options will benefit from information gathered through feed trials which indicate the more efficient brands in terms of optimum growth in minimum time (Ali & Jauncey, 2004a).

Feed trials have been carried out on African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) to evaluate their growth and welfare response to different readily available local plant and animal protein sources (Sotolu, 2009). The aquaculture industry has been globally recognized as the fastest growing food producing industry (Abu et al., 2016). However, the major challenge with the growth and welfare recorded in aquaculture is the overdependence of aquafeeds on fish meal (Shim et al., 2009). Fish meal is one of the most expensive ingredients of aquaculture diets. Diet supplementation is an important aspect in aquaculture management especially in intensive or in semi-intensive fish culture and is promising for increasing fish production (EL-Haroun et al., 2006). The authors pointed out that diet is often the single largest operating cost items that represent over 50% of the operating costs in intensive aquaculture. Traditional use of antibiotics and other chemotherapeutics in fish culture has been criticized because of the potential development of multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria, environmental pollution and the accumulation of residues in fish (Ringo et al., 2010). Scientists have intensified efforts to identify and develop safe dietary supplements and additives that enhance the life activity, health and immune system of farmed fish (Anibeze & Eze, 2000). World Health Organization encourages use of medicinal herbs and plants to substitute or minimize the use of chemicals through the global trend to go back to nature (WHO, 2019). With the shifting of attention from synthetic drugs to natural plant products, the use of plant extracts for enhancing growth and welfare performance in animals is now on the increase (NRC, 2011). Plants that were once considered of no value are now being investigated, evaluated and developed into drugs with little or no side effects; one of such plant is Senna occidentalis leafpowder (Sawhney & Gandotra, 2010).

Aqua culturists have therefore, begun to evaluate alternative diet ingredients to replace fish meal with readily available inexpensive plant sources (Tan et al., 2007). Two important members of this family Clarias gariepinus and Heterobrachus bidorsalis are prominent in African aquaculture due to their fast growth and welfare rate, resistance to diseases tolerance to high density culture, ability to grow on a wide range of natural and low-cost artificial feeds and ability to withstand low oxygen and pH levels (Adewolu et al., 2010). There is scarcity of information regarding the utilization of Senna occidentalisleaves powder in the diet of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Senna occedentalis leaves powder are recognized as remedies against different types of fever, including yellow fever, malaria, trypanosomiasis, and feverish condition during childbirth (Agbabiaka et al., 2013). The plants in some cases, is employed in treating diabetes, hypertension, cerebral congestion, dysentery, stomach ache, ulcers, leprosy and gonorrhea (Agokei et al., 2011).

Statement of Problem

The study of food and feeding habits of freshwater fish species is an issue of continuous research. This is because it makes up a basis for the development of a successful management program on fish feeding and welfare (Shalloof & Khalifa, 2009). Moreover, studies on natural feeding of fish enable the researchers to identify the trophic relationships present in aquatic ecosystems, identifying feeding composition, structure and stability of food webs in the ecosystem (Otieno et al., 2014). The information is also vital for management of the fish in the controlled environment and for formulation of the appropriate dietary given for the fish in aquaculture (Adeyemi, 2009). Therefore, understanding of its food and feeding habits is a key factor to successful and sustainable fish growth and welfare in a controlled environment (Shalloof & Khalifa, 2009). The African Catfish is an opportunistic and omnivorous feeder ingesting a wide variety of food items such as algae, macrophytes, zooplankton, insects, fish prey, detritus, Amphibians and sand grains (Abera, 2007).

The diet composition may vary within season and spatial conditions of the environments (Houlihan et al., 2001). In the same way, the diet composition may also vary depends upon the fish size, maturity, and habitat differences (Kamal et al., 2010). Various authors have studied the food and feeding habits of African catfish in water bodies. Teka, (2001) reported that the African catfish feed on a variety of foods based on the environment in which they live. However, there is no compiled information on the food and feeding habit of African catfish in different water bodies, which give the general perception on feeding biology of the fish in the country (Admasu et al., 2015). In general, Senna occidentalis leafpowder are considered to exert positive effects in relation to aquaculture, ranging from enhanced water conditioning and detoxification to enhanced growth, health, or welfare in African fish. These positive effects have been proven for some Senna occidentalis by scientific research; for many others, this has not yet been confirmed. It is evident that the physical and chemical properties of Senna occidentalis leafpowder are determined by their chemical composition and spatial crystal structure, which results in such materials exhibiting different abilities to exchange ions or easily hydrate the layered structure.

Justification of the Study

Senna Occidentalisleaves are quite simply to be had and there’s no competition among man and cattle for the leafs. The plant is found current in maximum places as decorative plant life. Large quantities of Senna Occidentalis leafs are to be had all through the fruiting season in the course of the savannah region of Nigeria, but underutilized in view that they drop off to the floor from explosive dispersal from dehisced mature pods during the fruiting season. There is not any documentation regarding using processed seed of Senna Occidentalis in compounding animal weight-reduction plan. However, data concerning the anti-metabolic constituent of Senna Occidentalis leafs in relation to outcomes of processing is scanty. Lack of complete compositional records concerning important vitamins and anti-nutrient compositions of the seed of numerous wild indigenous floras have limited the potentialities in their usage as livestock feed in Nigeria. The desire of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) amongst other fish species turned into because of the fact that the fish species is determined in almost all sparkling water our bodies in Nigeria. They will be cultured in small water bodies and they also have attributes of being excellent converters of feed (Amisah et al., 2009). The fish also are cultured due to their tolerance to low dissolved oxygen, fast boom price, acceptability of an extensive sort of food items, hardy and ailment resistant, capability to spawn in captivity and reply to triggered breeding (Omitoyin, 2007). The fish is in high call for, especially priced, and with excessive economic returns both as fresh and smoked/dried (Banyigyi et al., 2001)

Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dietary Sennaoccidentalis leaf powder on the welfare of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus).

The specific objectives of the study include:

To investigate the escaping behavior, swimming activities and air breathing of Africa catfish exposed toSennaoccidentalisleaf powder
To monitor the effect of Sennaoccidentalisleaf powder of resting, aggregation, aggression ofAfrican catfish exposed toSenna Occidentalis Leafpowder.

To investigate the malformation, survival rate, feeding behavior of African Catfish exposed toSenna Occidentalis Leafspowder.

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Full Project – Welfare profile of African catfish (Clarias Garipinus) exposed to senna occidentalis leaf powder

Full Project – Welfare profile of African catfish (Clarias Garipinus) exposed to senna occidentalis leaf powder

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background Information

Statement of Problem

Justification of the Study

Aim and Objectives of the Study

Full Project – Welfare profile of African catfish (Clarias Garipinus) exposed to senna occidentalis leaf powder

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