Effect of Substitution of Fish Meal by Cricket Meal (Acheta domesticus) on the Growth of Fry of Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Aims: This study evaluates cricket meal (Acheta domesticus) as an alternative to fishmeal in feeding tilapia fry (Oreochromis niloticus) to valorize of alternative protein sources in aquaculture feeding in Benin. Study Design: A randomized block experimental design. Place and Duration of Study: Agro-fish farm "ASSIKY", Department of Ouémé, commune of Akpro-Missérété, district of Vakon, village Ahohouèssa, between June 2018 and August 2018. Methodology: A control diet (R0) based on fishmeal and a diet (R100) containing 100% cricket meal. Four fine mesh happa (2 m x 1 m) were installed in a 500 m² pond. Each tank was stocked with 20 tilapia fry with an initial average weight of 10.41 +/- 0.5 g. The test was repeated thrice, and the two treatments were randomly assigned to the tanks. The fry were fed twice daily at 10 A.M. and 5 P.M., with a feeding rate of 6% of the total biomass. Parameters measured included survival rate, average daily gain, Consumption Index, and specific growth rate. Results: The results showed that fry-fed R100 achieved significantly better performance (P < 0.05) than those fed R0. The Average Daily Gain (ADG) of fry varied from 0.09 +/- 0.01 g/d to 0.17 +/- 0.03 g/d. The specific growth rate (TCS) was 1.30 +/- 0.15 in R100 and 0.75 +/- 0.08 in R0. Consumption Index was lower for R100 (3.85 +/- 0.99) compared to R0 (6.91 +/- 0.86). Survival rate was 100% in both groups. Conclusion: These results highlight the potential use of insects as an alternative protein source to fishmeal in aquaculture diets, and it is recommended that these results be validated under a variety of rearing conditions and over extended periods to ensure their robustness.