Effect of road conditions on physiological stress responses and post-transportation growth and survival of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings

ABSTRACT

To understand the effects of road condition on physiological changes and post-transportation growth and mortalities, different groups of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings (Average mass: 0.37 g) were transported over good (fully asphalted road) or bad roads (dirt road with bumpy surface) for 6 h. Physiological stress responses as well as post-transportation survival rates and growth performance indices were assessed for the fish groups transported over the different road conditions. Transportation over the bad road significantly increased MO₂ and TAN excretion rates. The bad road induced significantly higher (p = .0215) post-transportation mortality rates of nearly 12% over 7 d post-transportation, compared to just 2% for the fish transported over the good road. From an economic viewpoint, the 12% mortality rates recorded for the fish transported over the bad road could represent significant monetary losses in instances where large quantities of fingerlings are purchased and transported.

KEYWORDS:

• Fingerling transport
• fish welfare
• Nile tilapia
• stress
• water quality

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the technical staff of the Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi for the provision of the water quality probes and also for their assistance with the laboratory analyses of water quality.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.