Organoleptic assessment of processed freshwater clam (Galatea paradoxa)

Organoleptic characteristcs and eating acceptability of different processed fresh water clam (Galatea paradoxa) from Bayelsa state, Nigeria was evaluated. One hundred and fourteen (114) samples of clam (Galatea paradoxa) used for the processing experiment were obtained from Amassoma market. All samples were processed traditionally viz: smoked-dried, cooked with banga sludge and fried respectively. Thirty six (36) member taste panel were randomly selected to evaluate the organoleptic characteristics of the samples. Acceptibility of product was scored on a 6-point hedonic scale. The highest ratings of organoleptic characteristics were recorded for fresh water clam samples prepared by frying (5.24 ~c 0.54) while the least (4.47 ~c 0.27) was recorded for samples that were prepared by cooking with water (P<0.05). The results revealed that males had a preference for fried clam product while females had equal preference for clams fried and cooked in palm kernel sludge. The highest acceptability (88.89%) was observed in the samples that were subjected to frying method, while the least (80.56%) was recorded for samples that were smoked-dried. More research should be geared towards packaging these products for export

Catch composition of Malian trap (gura) in Lower Taylor Creek area, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The Catch composition of Gura Trap was studied in the Lower Taylor Creek, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Twenty-seven traps with 1, 2 3 valves were exposed to 48 hours at a time, for 5 weeks between May and June 2012. A total of 11 species of fish belonging to 8 families were recorded in this study. The family Cichlidae had the highest number with 67.6% of the total catch. The result further showed that Tilapia guineensis was the most abundant species (41.9%) in terms of number, while Protopterus annectens was most abundant (67.16%) in weight. This study needs to be further expanded to cover all seasons, so as to know the traps and true species selectivity throughout the year

Abundance and gill net selectivity of Pellonula leonensis in the Lower Nun River, Niger Delta, Nigeria

The abundance of Pellonula leonensis in relation to location, photoperiod, depth, tide, season and gill net selectivity was studied from May 2001 to April, 2002 in the Lower Nun River, Niger Delta. Three sets of gill net with stretched mesh sizes of 8, 12 and 15 mm respectively were used each measuring 35 m in length and 3 m in depth having a surface area of 105 m2. Abundance was least in September and highest in February and P. leonensis was more dominant in the convex area of the river and lowest inthe concave section. There was no significant variation (P > 0.05) in abundance of P. leonensis with photoperiod, water depth, tide and season. There was gillnet selectivity with the medium mesh size (12mm) gill net as more effective constituting 68.77% of the total catch of P. leonensis in the Lower Nun River

Aspects of the biology of Mugilids in waters around Port Harcourt, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Aspects of the biology (species composition, Length - Weight relationships, condition factor, fecundity, and sex ratio) of Mugilids in waters around Port-Harcourt, Niger Delta were studied. Of the sampled population of Mugilidae, four species of mullet belonging to two genera were identified; Liza grandisquamus (33.55%), L.falcipinus (28.95%), Mugil curema (19.08%) and M. bananensis (18.42%). The mean sizes of all species ranged from 8.1 - 27.5cm total length and 6.10- 170.23g in weight. There was no significant difference P>0.05 between male and female in all four species in both length and weight. All species exhibited isometric growths while populations of L. grandisquamus and M. bananensis revealed negative allometric and positive functions respectively. There was also no significant variation P>0.05 in the Fulton condition factors between male and female in all species and among species. The highest absolute fecundity value of 211, 793 eggs was recorded in L. grandisquamus with a body weight of 71.80g and the best predictor of fecundity for all species was ovary weight, while males and females did not depart from a 1 : 1 sex ratio in all species

Review of crude oil pollution effects on fish and fisheries of Nigerian waters

This paper reviews some adverse effects of crude oil pollution on fish and fisheries in Nigerian waters. The main causes of spillage include blowout, sabotage, corrosion of pipeline, equipment malfunction, operations/maintenance error etc. There are spillage records from 1976 to 1997 with respect to the yearly oil spill incidents, the sizes of spill in relation to the ecological operational areas and the causes of oil spills in relation to sources of oil spill within oil operation. Based on the observation from the analyses of the spillage reports, several steps were recommended in order to reduce the incident of crude oil spillage in Nigeria petroleum industry for the safety of our fragile water bodies and the fisheries resources stock in them

Fish species composition in Igbedi Creek, Bayelsa State

A preliminary survey of fish species composition in Igbedi Creek was carried out between July and September, 2007. Fish samples were collected from the fishermen's catches operating in the Creek and its distributary Ogoubiri River. Collected fish specimens were identified in the laboratory using standard identification keys. Thil1y-seven (37) fish species belonging to 17 families were observed. The most abundant families were the Mochokidae with seven (7) species which constituted 23.79% of the total sample collected followed by the Clariidae (10.78%) and Mormyridae (10.04%)

Effect of two fishing baits on catch composition of two traditional fishing traps in the upper Nun River, Niger Delta, Nigeria

The effect of two fishing baits on the catch composition of two traditional fishing traps were investigated between January and December, 2011 in the Upper Nun Rivers, Niger Delta. The traps were set at the littoral zone of the river, baited with Groundnut cake and fresh palm fruit. The Malian trap baited with Groundnut cake caught the highest number (31) of fish species with Species Diversity index of 1.00, while Ikara trap without bait caught the least number of fish species with Species Diversity Index of 0.32. The dominant species in the catches of the traps baited with Groundnut Cake were Synodontis sorex (15.45%), Synodontis clarias (10.57%), Clarias gariepinus (8.54%) and Hetcerobranchus bidorsalis (6.50%) in the small mesh sized Malian traps, while the large mesh sized Malian trap, synodontis sorex (9.05%), synodontis clarias (10.55%), Clarias gariepinus (6.03%) and Distichodus brevipinis (6.50%) were dominant. Mormyrus deliciosus was only caught in Malian trap. In both traps baited with fresh palm fruit, Heterobrancus bidorsalis, Clarias gariepinus, Oreochromis niloticus and Tilapia zilli dominated the catches. Traps not baited were dominated by Clariids. A significant difference was also observed in the weights of fish caught with different baits. The results from this study revealed that, groundnut cake is more efficient than fresh palm fruit as bait in catching freshwater fish

Food habits of Muglids from water around Port Harcourt

The food habits of four species of Muglidae, consisting of Liza grandisquamus, L falcipinus, Mugil curema and , were investigated using the frequency of occurrence and numerical methods of analysis. Also, Relative Gut Length (RGL) of fish specimen measured was calculated from fish gut length. Generally, the food consisted mainly diatoms, blue - green & green algae and detritus. Other food items included annelid, crustacea, nematode, insect parts, dinoflagellates and unidentified organisms. M. curema had the least Species Richness Index (2.827) while L grandisquamus had the highest (4.088). The Shanon - Wiener Diversity Index ranged 0.91 in M. curema to 1.03 in L. falcipinus, while Shanon's Index (HI]) ranged from 2.095 (M. curema) to 2.372(L falcipinus).The male M. bananesis had the least mean RGL of 2.48 ~c 0.17 while female L. falcipinus and L grandisquamus had the highest mean RLG of 3.31 ~c 0.13. The food items observed and the RGL suggest that the muglids studied were herbivorous or omnivorous

Challenges of developing the fisheries resources in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Theoil boom that almost spelt doom for agricultural development also affected the development of fisheriesprojects in many parts of the country including the growing Bayelsa State. The National FisheriesDevelopment Policies adopted by the state, geared towards increased fish production are attendedwith several challenges. Bayelsa State has great potentials in fisheries activities with more thanthree quarters of the land area occupied by a network of several natural lakes, rivers, creeks, swampsand marshy land stretching into the Atlantic Ocean. The challenge to develop this vast expanseof fisheries resource is the focus of this paper. It carefully reviewed the planning of the developmentefforts, the evaluation of the resources, the development of necessary management andtechnical personnel, introduction of appropriate technology and identification of priorities and needs of the fisheries industry in the state. It recommended the active participation of private investorsin the developmental efforts

International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis

BACKGROUND: The body of knowledge regarding rhinosinusitis (RS) continues to expand, with rapid growth in number of publications yet substantial variability in the quality of those presentations. In an effort to both consolidate and critically appraise this information, rhinologic experts from around the world have produced the International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR:RS). This executive summary consolidates the findings of the ICAR:RS document. METHODS: ICAR:RS presents over 140 topics in the forms of evidence-based reviews with recommendations (EBRRs) and evidence-based reviews (EBR). The structured recommendations of the EBRR sections are summarized in this executive summary. RESULTS: This summary compiles the EBRRs regarding medical and surgical management of acute RS (ARS) and chronic RS with and without nasal polyps (CRSwNP and CRSsNP). CONCLUSION: This ICAR:RS Executive Summary provides a compilation of the evidence-based recommendations for medical and surgical treatment of the most common forms of RS