Substitution of Fish Meal with Shea Nut Meal in Diets of Nile Tilapia Fry on Growth, Feed Utilization, Tissue Histology and Economic Analysis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of substituting fish meal with shea meal in diet of Oreochromis niloticus fry on growth, feed efficiency as well as proximate composition of the whole body. In addition, the effects of the diets on liver histology were studied. Three experimental diets were formulated to contain shea meal as a substitute for fish meal at 0%, 25% and 50%. The diets were designated as SNM0, SNM 25 and SNM 50 to reflect the inclusion level of shea meal. Two hundred fry of O. niloticus (initial weight of 0.82g) were obtained from Water Research Institute of Ghana (WA center) and transported to the Spanish Laboratory of University for Development Studies where they were acclimatized for two weeks. The fry were then stocked in 60 litre bowls (50 cm X 40 cm X 40 cm) at a density of 20 fry per bowl. The results show that substituting fish meal with shea meal affects final weight, weight gain, final length and specific growth rate significantly. The highest final mean weight (8.09±0.37g) was recorded in fish fed SNM 25 whilst the least (5.71±0.54g) was recorded in fish fed SNM 50. SGR (%) was significantly different amongst the three experimental diets (p