RESULTS OF PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON THE UTILIZATION OF COCOA-POD HUSKS IN FISH PRODUCTION IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

Fish feed is one of the most costly factors when culturing fish; therefore the establishment of economically viable fish-culture ventures requires the incorporation of agricultural wastes or by-products as feed ingredients or direct feed. Raw cocoa (Theobroma cacao L. ) fruits consist of a husk containing the bean, which after fermentation and drying, constitutes the cocoa of commerce, a major item of export trade from Nigeria and Ghana (West Africa). Cocoa-pod husk is known to contain no appreciable amount of theobromine, an alkaloid and biochemical studies have shown that it contains sizeable amounts of useful organic nutrients. A preliminary assessment was made of cocoa-pod husk as a direct feed for the production of the common carp. This communication describes methods of cocoa-pod husks utilization in fish production.