Seasonal analysis of certain biochemical parameters of carps cultured in domestic sewage oxidation ponds

Abstract

Aquaculture from domestic sewage water is an alternate solution for growing scarcity of food to the pressures of population by producing fish and prawn using treated domestic waste effluents. It is an economically viable process particularly in the developing countries, including West Bengal, India. Keeping in view of the above viability, we have cultured three species of fishes Cyprinus carpio, Labeo rohita, and Cirrhinus mrigala in domestic sewage oxidation ponds designed as per National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, India. Biochemical parameters such as serum lactate and serum cholesterol have been investigated in the present study to determine the quality of fishes cultured in sewage oxidation ponds for human consumption. Among all experimental fishes, C. carpio exhibited higher serum lactate (360.40 μg/ml) as compared to L. rohita (301.43 μg/ml) and C. mrigala (286.73 μg/ml). Similarly, high serum cholesterol values were observed in C. carpio as compared to other two species in all the three seasons. During the monsoon season, maximum serum cholesterol were observed in sewage cultured C. carpio (430.45 mg/100 ml) and minimum (278.40 mg/ml) in summer season followed by L. rohita (248.25 and 198.21 mg/100 ml) and C. mrigala (278.40 and 238.37 mg/100 ml). The fishes cultured in fresh water control ponds showed comparatively low values of serum lactate and cholesterol than the experimental fishes. Our results support the concept that good survival and adjustment of the fishes to the pre-treated nutritive domestic sewage water leads to their significant growth with an increased biochemical profile especially with higher levels of cholesterol, which are season dependent.