Association of Aeromonas hydrophila with mortality of catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

Aeromonas hydrophila was the predominant bacteria isolated from moribund fingerlings, post fingerlings, juveniles and table size of Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) cultured in concrete tanks. A. hydrophila was recovered from the internal organs of the fish showing varying degrees of clinical signs of dropsy, ulcers, fin rot and tail rot. The study considers the role of A.hydrophila, a pathogen of emerging importance and its presence in fish as a cause for concern for culturists, processors, consumers and exporters

Safety and quality concerns associated with fish production

Global aquaculture production has grown rapidly over the last 50years. It is generally accepted that there is limited potential to increase traditional fisheries; consequently, increased aquaculture is required in order to maintain global per capita fish consumption at the present level. With nearly half of all fish eaten today coming from farms and some 12 million people dependent on fish farming for their daily income, ensuring that farmed fish products are safe to eat and of the highest possible quality is crucial. Most of the work reviewed in this article describes the safety and quality issues in farmed fish, implications for consumers and presents methods to improve product characteristics

Impact of climate change on brackish water aquaculture development in the coastal areas of the Niger Delta

The issue of climate change has generated a lot of concern among the general public in Niger Delta region in recent time. It has been described in different ways by many people based on their views, perception and understanding. However, little considerations has been given to the impact of climate change on brackish water aquaculture in the coastal areas of Niger Delta. This paper therefore review critically based on existing literature and field experience, the causes of climate change, impact of climate change on aquaculture production such as: increase in temperature, flooding of ponds, increase in water turbidity, heavy siltation of pond bottom, introduction of new species, collapse of farms infrastructure and fluctuations in salinity levels. Also, various adaptation and mitigation strategies that will ameliomerate the impact of climate change in aquaculture operations, namely: reduction in human activiies that are inimical, stable climate, selection of good site suitable for fish farming, provision of shading materials for fish cultured in tanks, raising of pond dykes, good management practices and improvement of monitoring and early warning systems, are explicitly elucidated. As these strategies will go a long way in minimizing the impact of this menace, in the brackish water zone of the region. Moreover, efforts should be made by relevant institutions and agencies to come up with coordinated plans and policies that will reduce the effects of climare change on brackish water aquaculture in the coastal areas of Niger Delta

Elemental Composition and Geochemistry of Heavy Oil in Parts of Eastern Dahomey Basin, Southwestern Nigeria

Bituminous tar sand deposit of South-western Nigeria represents the product of in-reservoir transformation of convectional crude oil by microorganisms. The biotransformation of the heavy oil has led to the alteration of both the chemical and physical characteristics of this oil. The change in the chemical composition has posed a great problem to the refineries as feedstock tends to react with refineries components thereby destroying refining plant. Hence the commercial production of these resources has not been encouraged. Based on this, 14 samples spread across the tar sand belt of the region were taken and subjected to laboratory analysis. Result shows an average elemental composition of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus to be 80%, 8%, 4.5%, 4.1% and 3.9% respectively. This considerable high Nitrogen and Phosphorus content is due to biodegradation which occur in the trap due to untimely harvest of the oil and water washing effect. Keywords: Bituminous Tar Sands, Biotransformation, Reservoi

Exploitable socio-economic benefits of mangrove oyster culture to the people of Niger Delta

The Niger Delta, a 30,000 km2 wetland of global ecological significance is located at the southernmost part of Nigeria. The Delta is dissected by a dense network of rivers and creeks of saline and freshwater surface bodies. The brackish water (saline) sector consists of estuaries and intertidal mangrove swamps; the total brackish water area for the Niger Delta estimated at about 7,415 km2. The mangrove oysters grow chiefly in brackish water creeks of Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States, found attached to the aerial roots of the mangrove Rhizophora racemosa (Red mangrove). Mangroves are salt-tolerant evergreen forests found along sheltered coastlines, shallow-water lagoons, estuaries, rivers or deltas; stands stretching 30-40 km inland with an estimated area of 997, 700 ha in Nigeria. Aquaculture has an important role in the development of many national economies and plays a key role in rural development. The abundance of a natural population of mangrove oysters in the Niger Delta makes seed collectors and growing easier and inexpensive. The culture of mangrove oysters by the locals will contribute significantly to economic growth, increases income and food security, efficient utilization of surplus rural labour and reduced social problems, poverty alleviation, and social stability. This paper enumerates the culture and socio-economic benefits derivable from the practice of aquaculture through the sustainable culture of the native mangrove oysters

Effects of water quality of the Buguma creek on tilapia culture

Ecological parameters of water samples of the Buguma creek were evaluated. The parameters varied between high and low tide, with the maximum salinity level of 20&rdquo;ppt&rdquo;and lowest level 9&rdquo;ppt&rdquo;. The highest pH value of 7.7 occurred in January and lowest 5 in May. Simi larly, maximum ammonia level of 2mg/l was observed in May and consistently low levels(< 0.5mg/l) in the other months. We discussed the viability of tilapia aquaculture and suitability of Buguma creek for its culture

Public perception of mudskipper consumption in some fishing communities of River State

Mudskippers are a delicacy in some fishing communities of Rivers State, public perception of mudskipper consumption were determined in these areas. 120 structured questionnaires were randomly distributed in ten communities spread across three local governments. The results of the survey showed that consumption of mudskipper was more popular among the old people than the younger ones. A greater number of people 82.50% considered mudskipper as fish, 10% as nuisance, 4.17% as snake and 3.32% as pest. Also, 83.33% of the respondents were favourably disposed towards mudskipper 15.0% were negative and 1.67% were indifferent. The study revealed that there is no taboo in the consumption of mudskipper in these area, any perceptions was observed personal to individual and not a communal affair