Investigations were conducted on dried fish samples purchased from Faku and Sabo markets (in the Kainji Lake Area) and stored for 6 months. The most abundant insect pest was Dermestes maculatus particularly the larvae. At 3 months of storage, weight losses were 13% for S. galilaeus, 17% for T. niloticus and 19% for Alestes sp. respectively, with the products reduced to powder mixed with insect exuviae and dead larvae. An analysis of the salt content of the samples showed no significant difference between salt composition at the beginning and end of the experiment. A relationship between salt content and the degree of infestation by insect pest could not be established, possibly because of the low percentage salt composition observed on all samples. A suggestion is made as to the possible areas of research to combat the menace of insect pest infestation of dried fish.
