PREVALENCE AND INTENSITY OF ECTOPARASITES ON FARMED TILAPIA IN SARAWAK REGION, MALAYSIA, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WATER QUALITY STATUS
Salwati Baharudin (1), Sharifah Raina Manaf (1), Arif Azizi Che Harun (1), Nur Asha Shahira Zamri (1), Mohd Ihwan Zakariah (2), Wahidah Wahab (2), Jamaluddin Fitrah Alam (3), Kurniati Umrah Nur (3)

(1) Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology, Universiti Teknologi Mara UiTM Cawangan Sarawak Kampus Mukah

(2) Higher Institution Centre of Excellence, Institute of Tropical and Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP), University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.

(3) Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Universitas Hasanuddin (UNHAS), Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, Km.10 Tamalanrea, Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia.

Abstract

A parasitological analysis on farmed tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) from the Sarawak region, involving Sri Aman, Miri, Mukah, and Sibu districts, was performed in 2022 and 2023. The prevalence and mean intensity were investigated for a total of 120 tilapia obtained from four distinct farms. In this study, all the tilapia specimens were infected with at least one ectoparasite species, showing a 100% prevalence rate of ectoparasite infestation. Six species of protozoans (Trichodina sp., Ichthyopthirius multifiliis, Ichthyobodo sp., Oodonium sp., Epistylis sp., and Ciliates sp.) and two species of monogeneans (Dactylogyrus sp. and Gyrodactylus sp.) were observed. The most intense ectoparasites recorded were Ciliates sp., Trichodina sp., and Dactylogyrus sp. Trichodina sp. and Dactylogyrus sp. were recorded higher in tilapia collected from Sri Aman district, while Ciliates sp. infected the tilapia from Miri district the most. The lowest intensity rates were recorded for Ichthyobodo sp. and Oodinium sp. where Ichthyobodo sp. was only observed on tilapia from Mukah district while Oodinium sp. was only recorded in fish from Miri district. These findings showed that the presence of parasites on fish is significantly influenced by the quality of the water. The information provided might be useful to the fish farmers in understanding the dynamics of tilapia parasites in the relevant area.

Keywords: prevalence, intensity, ectoparasites, farmed tilapia, protozoans, monogeneans, water quality

Topic: Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries