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Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science

Year: 2012 | Volume: 7 | Issue: 1 | Page No.: 49-56
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Authors

O.O. Whenu

S.O. Fagade

Keywords

Research Article

Dietary Pattern of the Population of Parachanna obscura (Gunther 1861) in River Owo, South West, Nigeria

O.O. Whenu and S.O. Fagade
The African snakehead, Parachanna obscura is important as food and aquarium fish. It also has a high potential for controlling unwanted fishes in ponds. In spite of its ecological importance, there is dearth of information on this specie for its exploitation in River Owo, a tributary of River Ogun which receives treated industrial and commercial wastes from Agbara Industrial Estate in Lagos and Ogun States, south west Nigeria. This study was carried out to investigate the trophic ecology of the species in River Owo. Three size groups (A: 12.0-20.4 cm; B: 20.5-24.9 cm and C: 25.0-43.0 cm) were identified in 210 specimens of P. obscura examined and the food of each size group was established using numerical, frequency of occurrence and gravimetric methods. The relative importance index was then used to summarize the food preference. The stomachs in group A were numerically dominated by fish eggs (38.1%) but by occurrence method, the group preferred insect parts (34.1%). Group B preferred fish eggs (54.0%) by number while by occurrence, fish fry had 20.6%. Group C had preference for fish eggs (51.8%) as well as fish fry (13.5%) by number; however, by occurrence, fish fry constituted 44.8%. The consumption of fish and fish eggs is a point in favor of use of this species in control of Tilapia stunting in a polyculture system where it can be used to control overpopulation of prolific breeders.
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