Frame survey of the fishery resources of Otamiri River, Imo State and management issues

Abstract

Studies on fisheries, fishing and the fishing communities Otamiri River and Owerri West Water-Side, Imo State, Nigeria was carried out for twelve (12) months period (May to December 2017 and January to April 2018) in eighteen sampling stations which constituted the fishing communities in the area. The fishers identified and enumerated were males (126) and females (61) who used un-motorized canoes for fishing. The fishing gears used by the fishers were cast net, set long line, wire traps, seine nets and set gill nets. The Ichthofauna diversity of the fishing communities revealed a close relationship of the Ichthofauna diversity of the rivers in the Niger Delta. Thirty-three fish species in eighteen families were identified and recorded. In terms of species quality and abundance the families of Cichlidae, Clariidae and Bagridae predominate with family percentage (%) composition of 32.23, 16.20, 13.63 respectively while Notopteridae, Hepsetidae, Characidae , Cyprinidae, Polypteridae, Pantodontidae Cyprinodontidae Malapteriuridae, Nandidae, Gymnarchidae are less in abundance with family percentage (%) composition of 1.64, 0.76, 0.88, 1.58, 0.76, 0.88, 1.64, 1.60, 2.15 ,1.58, 4.80, 2.75, and 0.18 respectively. The entire fishery activities evolved strategic coordination both in fishing, preservation and processing prior to marketing the fish to the final consumer.