Effects of replacing fish meal with catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) processing waste water on the performance of growing pigs

A feeding trial with growing pigs was carried out in which fish meal was replaced by different levels of Tra catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) by-product processing waste water (WW). A control diet included fish meal (FM) as the sole protein supplement (WW0), and there were four experimental diets in which 100% (WW100), 75% (WW75), 50% (WW50), and 25% (WW25), respectively, of the crude protein from FM in WW0 was replaced by WW. Thirty crossbred castrated (Yorkshire x Landrace) male pigs with an initial average body weight of 23.6+/-1.6 kg were allocated into 30 individual pens in a randomized complete block design with six replications. Average daily feed intake and essential amino acid intakes were higher (P<0.01) in WW0 and WW25 compared with the other three diets, and ether extract intake was highest in WW100 (P<0.01). The highest average daily gain was in WW0 (582 g/day) and lowest in WW100 (501 g/day; P<0.01). Dry matter feed conversion ratio was lowest in WW100 (2.16 kg feed/kg gain) and highest in WW0 (2.42 kg feed/kg gain) (P<0.01). The cost/gain in pigs fed WW100 was lowest (12,476 VND/kg gain), and was highest in WW0 (18,312 VND/kg gain). In conclusion, although performance is reduced, it is possible to replace up to 100% of the fish meal by catfish by-product processing waste water in diets for growing pigs, resulting in much lower feed costs.