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Abstract
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Article Information:
Finfish Assemblage of the Lower Reaches Of Okpoka Creek, Niger Delta, Nigeria
Davies, O. A.
Corresponding Author: Davies Onome
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Accepted:
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Abstract:
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Okpoka Creek is one of the Niger Delta river systems that contributes to the Rivers State fish
resources. There has been unprecedented complaint from the fisherfolks on the dwindling finfish and shellfish
populations; catches have been drastically reduced. Therefore, there is urgent need to study the finfish
assemblage of this creek due to its location and the various human activities. A survey of the finfish catches
was conducted to ascertain its assemblage. Finfishes collected from the landing centre of local fishers for 12
months (April 2005 to May 2006) were identified according to standard method. These fishes were mostly
caught by non-selective cast nets of various mesh sizes by local fisherfolks during the low tide. Enumeration
was done by visual counting. A number was assigned to each fish species based on frequency of occurrence
or abundance (1-5). Analysis of variance and Duncan multiple range were used to analyse the data. A total
of 11 species from 8 families of finfishes dominated by Sardinella maderensis (47.33%) were observed.
Seasonal catches of finfishes were not significant (p>0.05). The highest relative abundance was recorded in
March (18.18%) and the lowest in April (9.09%). The low finfish species diversity indicates that finfish
population is over-fished by the local fishers and constant dredging activities have degraded the environment.
Also it shows that nypa palms are not good nursery grounds for these fishes. It is therefore recommended that
there should be closed fishing season, selective fishing gear should be used and dredging should be controlled.
Key words: Finfish, species composition, non-selective fishing gear, catches, Sardinella maderensis, habitat degradation,
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Cite this Reference:
Davies, O. A., . Finfish Assemblage of the Lower Reaches Of Okpoka Creek, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, (1): Page No: 16-21.
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ISSN (Online): 2040-7467
ISSN (Print): 2040-7459 |
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