article · Cogent Food & Agriculture
An investigation into Nile tilapia within the Ribb reservoir assessed the diet and feeding patterns of 512 sampled fish. Of these specimens, roughly two thirds contained stomach contents, while the remainder were empty. The species displayed omnivorous behaviour, predominantly consuming mud, detritus, and phytoplankton. Feeding preferences shifted significantly based on body size and season. Smaller fish primarily consumed detritus, zooplankton, and mud, whereas larger fish favoured mud and phytoplankton. During the dry season, mud and detritus accounted for most of the stomach volume. In contrast, phytoplankton and detritus constituted the vast majority of the diet during the wet season. Overall, feeding habits are heavily governed by seasonal cycles and fish maturity. Managing water buffer zones is recommended to protect food availability and ensure the sustainable utilisation of the fishery.
Understanding the natural diet of Nile tilapia provides vital ecological baseline data for managing newly formed reservoirs. Recognising how fish nutrition fluctuates across wet and dry seasons, as well as across life stages, enables environmental managers and fisheries authorities to implement protective measures, such as buffer zones, that support healthy fish populations and maintain local food security.
This early-stage ecological research can inform environmental regulators, reservoir authorities, and local fisheries management programmes. While the abstract presents no direct commercial product or technology, the insights can guide water buffer zone management strategies and wild fishery maintenance, helping to secure sustainable fish stocks for local commercial and artisanal fishers.
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This study aimed to examine the food and feeding habits of Oreochromis niloticus at the Ribb reservoir for sustainable management. A total of 512 specimens were collected using gillnets of different mesh sizes. Of these, 348 (67.9 %) fish had different foods, while 164 (32.1%) fish had empty stomachs. Mud was the main food item that accounted for 89.1% of estimated stomachs and 55.1% of the total volume in the diet. Detritus and phytoplankton were the second most important food items contributing 25.1% and 14.1% of the total volume respectively. Prey items differed depending on the fish size (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The smallest-sized fish preferred detritus, zooplankton, and mud while the food items such as mud and phytoplankton were preferred by the larger-sized fish species from the Ribb Reservoir. The seasonal variations in food composition were observed (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The volumetric contribution of foods such as mud and detritus were higher in the dry season and contributed in 61.2% and 19.2% respectively. During the wet season, phytoplankton and detritus were the most important food items and their corresponding volumetric contributions were 52.3% and 42.1% of the total volume in the stomach O. niloticus Generally, O. niloticus exhibited omnivorous feeding habits in their diet from the newly established Ribb Reservoir. It is possible to conclude that food and feeding habits of O. niloticus influenced by seasons, and fish sizes from Ribb Reservoir. Therefore, water buffer zone management is needed to improve the food and feeding habits of this fish for the better sustainable utilization.
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DOI: 10.1080/23311932.2023.2212457
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