Abstract
Pterygoplichthys disjuctivus, native to South America (Armbruster 2001) has spread massively as an exotic fish species in many of the open water systems in India including the East Kolkata Wetland, a Ramsar site in West Bengal, India. Such exotic species compete for food and physical resources with the native species thereby affecting habitat structure and the species diversity. In spite of being caught in very high numbers, option for its utilization has not been explored. In this context, the nutritional composition of Pterygoplichthys disjuctivusin terms of gross chemical composition, amino acid, fatty acid and mineral composition was studied to explore its potential to be used as source of fish meal. Nutritional composition analysis showed that the fish is rich in proteins (16.1%), functional amino acid leucine (15.15%) and macro minerals phosphorous (2220 mg/100 g) and potassium (1780 mg/100g).This study indicates that the fish is rich in protein and minerals and could be utilized as a source of fish meal in fish feed formulations. Key words: Invasive species, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus, East Kolkata wetland
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