POTENTIALITY OF EARTHWORM AS A REPLACEMENT FOR FISH MEAL AND ITS ROLE IN AQUACULTURE

摘要

Earthworm is famously called as "Farmers friend", as they play a major role in converting the organic wastes and litter wastes into organic manure.which serves as a best natural fertilizer adding nutrients to the soil. Only fish feed contributes morethan 40-60% of the production cost in aquaculture. Fish meal is a major animal based protein source used in the aqua feed production industries which also increases the feed production cost. Reducing the use of fish meal is a worldwide challenge by manyaquaculturists and fish nutritionists. Many plant based ingredients have been introduced as alternative for fish meal. However, the bioavailability of nutrients to the aquatic animal being cultured is restricted due to the presence of antinutritional factors present in the plant based feed ingredients. An another novel approach to replace fish meal is the supplementation of earth worm meal as it contains crude protein and crude lipid around 52% and 18% respectively. The nutritional and health status ofcultured animal improved with the use of earth worm meal in their diets which in fact due to the presence of essential and non-essential amino acids profile of earth worm meal.