Diversity, distribution and abundance of fish species in Lake Asejire, Oyo State, Nigeria

Aquatic systems in Nigeria have suffered stress induced by human activities which alter the natural composition of the water resources. This study investigated the diversity, distribution and abundance of fish species in Lake Asejire. The lake was partitioned based on accessibility into upper, middle and lower sections for the study. Fish species were sampled using monofilament gill nets with stretched mesh sizes ranging from 44.45-169.33mm. Water and fish species were sampled fortnightly for a period of twelve months. Water quality parameters: temperature (28.96±0.28oC), dissolved oxygen (5.6±0.13mg/l), pH (6.73±0.19) and conductivity (159.8±0.32μS/cm) measured were within suitable standard ranges for fish production in natural waters. A total of 16 species from 10 families were identified from the lake. Cichlids had the highest number of fish species (4) and relative abundance (66.82%) and Coptodon zillii was the most abundant fish species across the months and sampling stations (27.53%). The lower section of the lake had the highest relative abundance (52.90%) while the upper section of the lake had the least (16.14%) and the highest fish catch (13.35%) was in November. The species richness of the lake decreased from lower (S=16) to upper section (S=14), the middle section was highly diversified (H=0.73) with a combined value of H=0.67 for the lake. The fish species were evenly distributed across the lake with the highest evenness in the upper section (E=0.22). Simpson’s index was highest in the lower region (D=0.30) and there was a high probability of picking different fish species at random. Trophic grouping showed forage to carnivore (F/C) ratio of 2.06 indicating an unbalanced fish population based on food habit, which should be addressed. There is need for proper regulation such as enforcement of fishing seasons and fishing across the trophic levels to ensure sustainability of the fish resources in the lake

A Study of Awareness and Electricity Use Behaviour of On-campus Residence Students in Nigeria

The study explored the awareness and reported energy use behaviour among higher education students in Southwestern Nigeria; examined the relationship between the level of awareness of the impact of energy use behaviour of students and also provides strategies that could be used to improve the level of awareness of stakeholders. We adopted a quantitative survey and questionnaire as instruments for gathering relevant data from end users in the study area and relevant data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that end users had low level of awareness of the negative impact of energy use behaviour 201(81.4%) and had not been trained on energy saving measures. However, they were more aware of the positive impact of energy use behaviour 194(79.0%). The analysis also showed a significant relationship between awareness and reported energy use behaviour; awareness level and turning off light when not needed (r = 0.897, p = 0.001), awareness level and shutting down all computers unless in use (r = 0.189, p = 0.044) and awareness level and leaving computer running overnight (r = 0.452, p = 0.003). The study concluded that the level of awareness of energy saving measures of electricity end users was very low and consequently a lot of energy could be wasted in return. To maximize energy saving potentials of the students, there is need for authorities in tertiary institutions to make effort to raise the awareness of everyone involved; including the management of institutions through an energy efficiency awareness programme, as this could help higher education institutions to achieve energy sustainability and reduce waste. The study developed a framework for improving and enhancing students’ awareness on the impact of energy use behaviour

Effect of drinking magnetized water on immunity and carcass quality of broiler chicken

This study was conducted to determine the effect of drinking Magnetized Water (MW) on the immunity of broiler chicken. The problem which this study focused on was the mortality rate of broiler chicken which is common in some poultry farms in Nigeria due to some factors that could lead to loss of income. There is a need for economical methods for boosting the immunity of Broiler Chicken (BC) in order to reduce the mortality rate. BC (Arbor Acres breed) was given MW. The magnetized water was produced by passing water through the magnetic field in a pipe. The treatments were MW treated for 33s by passing the water through pipe surrounded with magnets one time(T1), MW treated for 66 s by flowing twice through the magnetic unit (T2), T3 was MW treated for 99 s and control (Non-Magnetized Water, NMW, T0). A total of 80 BCs (day old) with 20 BC for each treatment were given MW (T1, T2 and T3), NMW and monitored for 7 weeks. Blood samples were collected for hematology and analyzed using standard methods. The values of white blood cell for T0, T1, T2 and T3 were 153.61×10-9/L, 133.20×10-9/L, 134.78×10-9/L and 101.12×10-9/L and for lymphocytes, were 137.08×10-9/L, 120.79×10-9/L, 125.49×10-9/L and 96.12×10-9/L, respectively. MW T1, T2 and T3 increased body weight gain of the BC by 410, 320 and 210g/broiler. Protein contents of the carcass for T1, T2, T3 and T0 were 13.13%, 13.23%, 13.18% and 12.80%, respectively. MW can therefore enhance production of healthy broiler chickens

Report of Mixed Infection of Infectious Bursal Disease and Chicken Infectious Anaemia Viruses

Infectious bursa disease (IBD) was tentatively diagnosed from an experimental cockerel flock. Clinical signs observed included dullness, diarrhoea characterized by greenish yellow colour and spiking mortality lasting four days. Post-mortem examination results showed pale and slightly enlarged liver and kidney, enlarged and haemorrhagic bursa, petechia haemorrhages on the spleen, keel and thigh muscles and thymus atrophy. Pale liver, thymus atrophy and haemorrhages in the bursa could also be presented in Chicken Infectious Anaemia (CIA) infection. The organs (Bursa, kidney, thymus and liver) from where the infected birds were further screened for IBD and CIA viruses using the polymerase chain reaction technique and were positive for both. This confirms IBD and CIA are responsible for the losses in the flock. This implies that many CIA infections or its mixed infection may be mistaken for IBD alone if no confirmatory diagnosis is carried out, since most post-mortem lesions presenting extensive syndrome are considered to be caused by IBD. &nbsp

Mechanical Behaviour and Microstructural Characterization of Carbon Steel Samples from Three Selected Steel Rolling Plants

The research investigated the mechanical behavior of samples of steel rods obtained from three selected Steel Rolling Companies in South Western part of Nigeria. This was done by carrying out some mechanical tests such as tensile, impact and hardness as well as microstructural examination.Four sets of 16 mm steel rod samples were collected from Tiger steel industries, Phoenix steel and Oxil steel Industies, all located in South West Nigeria, The chemical composition was carried out using a Spectrometer (EDX3600B). Afterwards, different samples were prepared, cut and machined according to ASTM standards dimensions of tensile and impact tests as well as hardness test from which their Ultimate tensile Strength, Yield strength, Percentage elongation, Impact strength and Brinell hardness number were obtained and compared to three standards (ASTM A706, BS 4449 and Nst 65-Mn). Their microstructures were also examined and analyzed.The results showed that the Ultimate tensile strength for the samples from Oxil steel, Phoenix Steel and Tiger steel were 661 N/(mm)2, 653 N/(mm)2 and 631 N/(mm)2 respectively while their hardness values were 150 BHN, 178 BHN, 214 BHN respectively. The sample from Tiger steel and Oxil Steel had the finest and most coarse microstructure respectively. In conclusion, it was observed that the results of the sample analysis from the three selected Steel Rolling Companies conformed to most of the standards except the sample from Tiger steel which had a high hardness value compared to the standard

Managing Workplace Conflicts in Business Environment: The Role of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

In today’s business atmosphere, conflict in the workplace is a noteworthy issue; therefore, handling conflicts in organizations is essentially very important as organizations that fail to address conflicts properly are likely to run into problems because conflict is integral in organizational life and has both likely benefits and costs. To address the situation of conflicts, lately since 1970s organizations have turned to the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), in resolving workplace conflicts. This article therefore presents the authors’ thoughts on why organizations should use ADR to manage workplace conflicts; as effective conflict management has the prospective to play a key role in the success of organizations goals. Keywords: Workplace Conflicts, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Business Environment, & Managemen

Bacterial Indicators of Contamination in Highly Impacted Segment of Tropical Lagoon, Southwest Nigeria

Increasing deterioration of coastal waters is a major public health concern in many regions of the developing world. This study investigates the impact of water quality on the proliferation of bacterial pathogens in surface water, sediment and tissues of fish, Sarotherodon melanotheron from the Makoko axis of Lagos Lagoon. Analysis of physicochemical characteristics and microbial quality of samples followed standard methods and procedures.  Measured water quality parameters (water temperature, turbidity, pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen) which showed no significant variation (p>0.05) across study stations were within the Nigerian Federal Environmental Protection Agency set limit The highest total bacterial count (TBC) (214.09±43.95 x 105 CFU g-1), total coliform counts (TCC) (91.15±15.05 ×104 CFU g-1) and total faecal coliform (TFC) (36.22±12.98×10³ CFU g-1) were recorded in fish muscle tissue while the lowest TBC (52.39±39.72 x 105 CFU ml-1), TCC (33.45±33.94 ×104 CFU ml-1) and TFC (0.19±0.18×10³ CFU ml-1) were recorded in water sample. The bacterial species with the highest percentages of occurrence in water, sediment, fish gill and fish muscle tissue were Klebsiella pneumoniae (22.11 %), Enterobacter aerogenes (32.37 %), Escherichia coli (32.97 %) and E. coli (29.00 %) respectively. A very strong positive correlation (r = 1.00) was obtained between TBC in water and salinity as well as with dissolved oxygen levels. Likewise, the TBCs in fish parts (muscle tissue and gill) were positively correlated with the water temperature and turbidity. On the other hand, a negative correlation was obtained between pH and TBC in fish muscle tissue (r = -0.81) as well as with fish gut (r = -0.77). The relatively high counts of pathogenic bacteria species recorded during the study have serious public health implications

Climate change, wildlife and fisheries: A review of impact on Nigeria’s food security

Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects all facets of life. In Nigeria, the rate of industrialization and urbanization has increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the last decade. These changes are observable in temperatures and rainfall regimes which have affected food production in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Agriculture, which used to be the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, has reduced drastically and this may be caused by heat waves, irregular rainfall patterns, encroachment, and government policies leading to food shortage. The terrestrial environment has been faced with human and wildlife conflict issues on land usage and wildfires. Aquatic ecosystems are not left out of these effects as their surface area is shrinking and the water temperature has fluctuated irrationally thereby reducing aquatic biodiversity. The life processes in fish species and wildlife are impaired when the environmental conditions are unfavorable. In view of sustainability, economic, environmental and social strategies can be employed in the terrestrial environments. In the case of aquatic ecosystems, measures such as ecosystem approach to fisheries, forecasting of weather, good governance in fisheries related activities and reduction of conflicts between stakeholders in fisheries are suggested. To this end, this paper reviews the effects of climate change on both terrestrial (agricultural and wildlife) and aquatic ecosystems to eliminate hunger (Goal 2), preserving life underwater (Goal 14) and on land (Goal 15) through climate resilience (Goal 13) as elaborated by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

A checklist on the status of targeted fish species in selected communities of Ondo coastal waters, Nigeria

The increased human activities resulting from industrialization and urbanization around the Ondo section of the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean have significantly affected the environment. To this end, the water quality, fish abundance and target status of fish species were identified, not-withstanding the influence of human activities on the water quality and its effects on fish abundance. Four fishing communities were purposively selected based on geographical location and accessibility along the coast; Ayetoro and Idi-Ogba communities on the eastern side and Eruna-Ero and Igbokoda on the western side. A total of 120 structured questionnaires were randomly administered using snowball technique at 30 per site. Erunna-Ero community measured the highest mean temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity and conductivity with 29.39 0.30 oC, 4.48 0.06 mg/L,10.68 0.39ppt and 40.70 0.18 S/cmrespectively, while pH was highest in Idi-Ogba community (6.47 0.00). A total of 61.67% were within 21-40 age brackets; 69.17% were males, and 75% of the males engaged in fishing activities. Agricultural activities were high (97%) with most wastes emptying into the river (85.83%). A total of 27,622 fish individuals were identified across the fishing communities with Igbokoda having the highest abundance (38.13%) and Cynoglossus browni (75.18%) was the highest fish species. In the past, three (3) economically important fish species were of major target but a reduction to two (2) species was observed at the time of study which indicated a reduction in target fish species in Igbokoda community. An increase from three (3) to four (4) target species were observed in Ayetoro, Erunna-Ero, and Idi-ogba communities which indicated an increase in target fish species. The study showed the activities around the coastal water dictated the abundance of fish species and therefore essential to monitor the water quality parameters for the sustainability of fish species in the coastal water