HAEMATOLOGICAL PROFILE OF CATFISH (CLARIAS GARIEPINUS BURCHELL, 1822) FOLLOWING THE STRESS ASSOCIATED WITH TRANSPORTATION AND HANDLING IN THE MARKET

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the haematological profile of Clarias gariepinus after stress from transportation and handling in the market. C. gariepinus mixed sexes and siblings reared in the same fish tank were subjected to transportation and market stressors associated with transportation and handling in the market. Ten fish were collected at random at successive time intervals at the fish farm (A), another immediately after arriving at the Choba market (B), and then after 3 hours (C), 6 hours (D), and 9 hours (E) at the same location. The results revealed that red blood cell (RBC) levels were higher in the non-stressed group (Group A) than in the test populations (Groups B-E).The differences in values were not statistically significant (p<0.05). Haemoglobin levels were consistent with the RBC. The non-stressed group had the highest value of 14.87±0.81g/dL. Mean values of the platelets ranged from 195.00±12.50×10 /L to 242.33±12.99×10 /L for all the samples, and this parameter showed a significant difference. The mean packed cell volume (PCV) values differed significantly between different population groups. There was no statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in neutrophils, lymphocytes, or monocytes values, but eosinophils showed a significant difference (p <0.05) across all treatments. The glucose mean values did not differ significantly across the populations, with the lowest value of 24.3±52.71g/dL recorded for the control relative to the test populations. It can be concluded that acute stress alters blood parameters in fish, and all the haematological parameters determined in the present study are important stress markers.