Growth and Survival of Clarias gariepinus Fingerlings Fed on Earthworm Meal as an Alternative Protein Source in Plateau State

The search for sustainable and locally available alternative protein sources for catfish production has generated considerable research interest in sub-Saharan Africa. This study evaluates the growth performance and survival of African catfish fingerlings fed diets in which earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) meal replaces fishmeal at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% levels at a research station in Shendam, Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. Earthworms were cultured on organic kitchen waste, harvested, oven-dried, and milled into meal characterised for proximate composition. One hundred and fifty uniform fingerlings with an initial mean weight of 8.9 g were distributed across 15 aquaria and fed experimental diets for eight weeks. Growth parameters, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, and survival were computed at the end of the trial. Results showed that earthworm meal contained 58.4% crude protein on a dry weight basis, making it a nutritionally competitive fishmeal alternative. Fish fed diets with 25% and 50% earthworm meal replacement achieved growth performance comparable to the control group. Performance declined at 75% and 100% replacement levels, attributed to the higher crude fibre content of earthworm meal and reduced feed palatability. Survival was above 93% across all treatments. The study recommends earthworm meal as a viable fishmeal replacer at up to 50% inclusion for catfish fingerling production in Plateau State, supporting the development of vermicomposting enterprises as dual-purpose agro-enterprises.

Keywords: earthworm meal, fishmeal replacement, Clarias gariepinus, growth performance, Plateau State