Fish Weight and Species Diversity of Traditional and Modified Malian Traps in Tagwai Dam of Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural water bodies with diverse fish resources. Most Nigeria’s populations dwelling near water bodies such as lakes, lagoons, reservoirs, rivers, swamps and coastal lagoons depend heavily on the resources of such water bodies for their main source of livelihood (Abubakar et al., 2006). The fish productivity of most Nigeria inland waters is generally on the decline (Jamu and Ayinla 2003). The decline of these fishes has been attributed to several causes ranging from environmental degradation of the water bodies to inadequate management of the fisheries resources. For sustainable exploitation of these resources, a crucial management tool is to have a comprehensive understanding of the ichthyofaunal composition of the water bodies. Lawson and Olusanya (2010) reported that species diversity is the number of different species in a given area. They are commonly used in conservation studies to determine the balance of ecosystem and their species. Information generally on fish abundance studies of natural water bodies is helpful in the sustainable management of the aquatic resources. Lawson and Olusanya (2010) further noted that for the sustainability of fish resources to be attained, it is pertinent to have adequate knowledge of species diversity, composition and relative abundance of the water bodies. Also, the avoidable decline of fisheries resources in an area occasioned by overexploitation and inadequate management of inland waters could be unraveled through the availability of relevant information of various parameters of species in the river. According to Suter (2007), species diversity and relative abundance studies have been advocated for ecological risk assessment in the aquatic system. Fish abundance studies could also help identify the presence of species of importance and economic value to the livelihood of the people living in an area. However, Jamu and Ayinla (2003) reported that the yields of most inland waters are generally on the decline as result of improper management of fisheries resources, environmental degradation such as water pollution. This study is aim at determine the fish species diversity and weight of Tagwai dam reservoir with a view of providing information on the ichthyofaunal composition of the dam and the potential of modified alian traps in relation to its traditional counterpart