Université des Sciences Arts et Techniques de Natitingou, Département d'Economie et de Sociologie Rurales, École Nationale Supérieure des Sciences et Techniques Agronomiques de Djougou, B.P. 73 Djougou, Benin
With an aim of reducing the cost of aquacoles feed, we carried out substitution partial of an imported raw material: the fish meal (FP) by under local product: flour of ground worm (FV). The experiment undertaken on the youthful ones of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), monosexe male, having an initial average weight of 6.24 ± 0.39g (average weight ± ES), consists in testing 2 iso-proteinic and iso-energy diets containing the same rates of the various ingredients. During 45 days of experiment the final average weights reached values ranging between 27.66± 4.06g and 42.46 ± 10.53g according to treatments'. The best growths and food transformations were obtained with treatments T2 and T3 (specific growth rates: respective TCS = 7.25±0.18 and 7.60 ± 0.39% and food conversion rate: respective TCA = 1.30 ± 0.94 and 1.28 ±0.76), while with food T1 one obtained a TCS of 5.90 ±0.15% and a TCA of 1.81±0.17.
Ultimately, and in comparison with the analyses of economic profitability, the results obtained, showed that the incorporation of this by-product (FV) ata rate of 15% involves a profit of 29.1 % on the financial expenses related to the station of the food without causing injury with the growth of fish. Thus, substitution partial of the fish meal by the flour of ground worm is possible and more advantageous when the fish are nourished with the fresh ground worms. It allows, moreover, the reduction of the loads related to the food of Tilapia and the valorization of this neglected by-product.