International Journal of Aquaculture, 2015, Vol.5, No.31, 1
-
7
1
Research Report Open Access
Some Biometric Parameters of Four Selected Fish Species in Doma Dam, Nasarawa
State, Nigeria
Umaru J. A., Annune P.A., Cheikyula J.O., Okomoda V.T.
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria
Corresponding author Email
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2015, Vol.5, No.31 doi
Received: 1 Sep., 2015
Accepted: 6 Oct., 2015
Published: 1 Dec., 2015
Copyright © 2015
Umaru
et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article
:
Umaru J.A., Annune P.A., Cheikyula J.O.,
and Okomoda V.T., 2015, Some Biometric Parameters of Four Selected Fish Species in Doma Dam, Nasarawa State,
Nigeria,
International Journal of Aquaculture, 5(31): 1-7
Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the biometric parameter of some selected fish from doma dam, Nassarawa State.
Samples of
Hydrocynus
breves,
Alestes dentex
,
Hydrocynus forskali
, and
Brycinus leuciscus
were collected from landing sites and the
corresponding morphometric measurement and meristic count were recorded Results reveals significant differences in twelve of
thirteen morphometric parameters considered in the four fish species from the dam. The most influential morphometric variables for
discrimination these species using the 1st DF were the predorsal distance, body depth, standard length and eye diameter, while anal
fin ray, caudal fin ray and pelvic fin ray constituted the most influential meristic variable for discrimination of the groups. Plots of
canonical discriminant functions 1 of the morphometric measurements in this study clearly showed a complete overlap between H.
breves and
H. foskali
and a partial overlap with
A. dentex
but separate however from
B. leuciscus
. Meristic plots of canonical
discriminant functions 1 however shows overlap of
A. dentex
,
B. leuciscus
and H. breves and completely separation from
H. foskali.
Keywords
Morphological parameters; Growth pattern; Doma dam
1 Introduction
The knowledge of fish biology particularly biometric
parameter is of utmost important not only to fill up the
lacuna of our present day academic knowledge but
also to increasing the technological efficiencies of the
fishery entrepreneurs for evolving judicious pisciculture
management (Swain & Foote, 1999). Fish morphology
is inseparably related to study of the mode of life and
the analysis of size and shape variations becomes
fundamental to highlights variability in living organisms
(Turan et al., 2004).
Morphological parameters and biometrical characteristics
including morphometric measurement and meristic count
have been used to identify fish stocks and remain the
simplest and most direct way among methods of
species identification (Turan et al
.,
2004). The study
of differences and variability in morphometric and
meristic characters of fish stocks is important in
phylogenetics as it provide information for subsequent
studies on the genetic improvement of stocks. To our
knowledge this is the first of such study which is
aimed at evaluating the biometric parameters and
annual variations in condition factor of commercially
important fishes such as
Hydrocynus breves,
Alestes dentex, Hydrocynus forskali, and B. leuciscus
from doma dam.
2 Materials and Methods
2.1 Description of study area
The study area is Doma Dam in Doma Lo cal
Government Area of Nasarawa State Nigeria, Doma
Dam was constructed for the purpose of irrigation
which was co-ordinate by the Lower Basin Authority
(LRBA) it cover an area of 3,975km
2
. It’s maximum
surface normally occurs during rainy seasons of July –
September there after it recedes so that minimum level
is reached just before the start of rains in June.
2.2 Sample collection and measurement
Four species of fish from doma dam were selected for
this study, namely
Hydrocynus breves, Alestes dentex,
Hydrocynus forskali,
and
B. leuciscus
. The fishes
were obtained from artisanal fishermen landing
site in the dam. The fishermen used different types
of fishing gears both passive and active fishing gears,
which include traps, seine, cast net, gill nets, clay
nets, hook and lines and crafts. Sample were
collected for a year starting July 2014 to June 2015.
