The role of Tilapia in food security of fishing villages in Niger state, Nigeria

Fish is generally regarded as a primary source of protein for many poor African fishing villages. Most of the fish consumed in the fishing villages in Nigeria consists of freshwater species such as tilapia. Tilapia previously considered of little commercial value is now being considered a human food. The aim of the present study was to determine the importance of tilapia in the diet of fishing villages in Niger state, Nigeria by examining the household consumption of different fish species. A total of one hundred households in fishing villages in five local government areas (LGA) of Niger state were randomly selected for the study. The households consisted of fifty fishing households where active fishing was the primary activity and fifty non–fishing households (where agriculture was the primary activity). A 24 hour recall was used to obtain the amount of fish consumed by each household, the form of fish cooked (fresh, smoked, dried) and the source of fish (whether the fish was purchased in the market or caught directly by household members from local rivers). A general linear model was used to analyse fish consumption to establish significant (p<0.05) differences in monthly fish consumption between fishing and non-fishing households. A total of 24 fish species were recorded in the diet of the people with tilapia contributing the highest percentage (19% by weight) of the fish consumed. All fishing and non–fishing households consumed fish during the survey period. Fish consumption was significantly higher in fishing than non–fishing households. Fishing households consumed an  average of 188g of fish per day (69kg/year) compared with 127g fish per day (46kg/year) for non-fishing households. Household consumption of fish varied during the year. The highest fish consumption occurred in March, 2009 in all the households. There was a negative correlation (r = - 0.124, p = 0.013) between fish consumption and income. The study shows a high preference for fresh fish