COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF EXTRUDED AND NON-EXTRUDED LOCAL FEEDS VERSUS COMMERCIAL FEED ON THE ZOOTECHNICAL PERFORMANCE OF OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS (LINNAEUS, 1758)

Aquaculture plays a crucial role in bridging the gap left by declining wild fisheries. However, the reliance on fish meal and fish oil for feeding farmed fish, along with the importation of industrial feed in developing countries like Senegal, limits the sectors growth. Thus, finding alternative solutions to these challenges is essential. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of imported industrial feed with extruded and non-extruded local feeds, while also evaluating the effects of replacing fish meal entirely with poultry by-product meal on the zootechnical performance and economic profitability of Oreochromis niloticus. A total of 180 O. niloticus fry were used, divided into three feeding diets (in triplicate), and monitored over a 60-day period. pH and temperature were recorded twice daily before siphoning, tank refilling, and feeding. Fish were weighed biweekly to assess biomass and adjust feed rations. Prior to the study, the non-extruded local feed (R2) was formulated and produced. The results showed that the best weight gains (GPMa and GPMr, TCS), TCA and TS were observed in fish fed with industrial feed (R0) compared to those fed with non-extruded local feed (R2), which primarily contained poultry by-product meal. However, given the statistical results showing no significant differences between diet R0 and the economic profitability of diet R1, extruded local feed (R1) appears to be the optimal choice among the three.