Assessment of Antibiotics Usage in Aquaculture in Sokoto State, Nigeria

Abstract

Currently, antibiotics are widely used in aquatic animals for prevention, control and treatment of infections, as food supplement for growth, to optimize productivity and prevent or reduce mortality. With the increasing use of veterinary drugs in aquatic food production, there is global concern about the rationale use of antimicrobials, the consumption of antimicrobial residues in aquatic foods and their effect on human health. This study was undertaken to assess and evaluate the antibiotics usage in aquaculture in Sokoto State, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted in which all the fifty-one (51) registered fish farmers in Sokoto State were interviewed. The results showed that thirty-five (68.627%) respondents admitted that they frequently administered drugs to their fish with or without veterinary prescription and supervision, while 31.373% of respondents were not using any antibiotics. So also, twenty-five (49.01%) respondents admitted ignorance of withdrawal period while thirty-one (60.78%) respondents admitted using Oxytetracycline singly or in combination with other antibiotics. It was observed that there is no significant association between the use of antibiotics and the educational qualification of the farmers (P>0.05). It is therefore, recommended that the government through participatory extension services, develop and encourage the aquaculturists to adopt innovations in fish farming especially those that discourage the indiscriminate use of antibiotics.