Baseline study for the design of inundation canal for a tidal fish farm, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

Some fish ponds at the African Regional Aquaculture Centre (ARAC) fish farm located in Aluu, Rivers State, Nigeria had problem of water shortage. Baseline study to redress the problem by designing appropriate inundation canal with sluice gate, for the fish farm was carried out. A 300 m long study canal of rectangular cross section was constructed to link the New Calabar River with a study reservoir in the farm. The topographic survey of the study area indicated gentle sloping woodland, with the highest and lowest elevations of 11.00 m and 1.00 m respectively. The ground profile of the study canal centre line indicated a gentle sloping tidally fed wetland, with highest and lowest elevations of 1.70 m and 0.47 m respectively. The mean peak heights of water in the study canal during spring and neap tides ranged from 0.95 m to 1.45 m and 0.38 m to 0.86 m respectively, while the flood tide and ebb tide velocities of study canal flow ranged from 0.40 m/s to 0.75 m/s and 0.72 m/s to 0.92 m/s respectively. The baseline data obtained were considered adequate for the design of inundation canal for the farm.