ISSN (Online): 2456-6268
Journal of Fisheries and Life Sciences

Journal of Fisheries and Life Sciences

2018, Vol. 3 Issue 2, Part DECEMBER
Food, feeding habit and condition factor of Silver Catfish (Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus) (Geoffrey Saint Hilaire, 1808) from Cross River estuary, Nigeria
Author(s): Ndome, C. B. and Udo. I. U.
Abstract: Fish exploit the diversities of food organisms and habitats in their aquatic environments according to their structural morphology and feeding habits, hence its ecological roles and functions. Four morphological features and dietaries of 327 stomachs of Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus in the Cross-River estuary, Nigeria. Three methods (frequency of occurrence, gravimetric and numerical) were used to study food, feeding habit and condition factor. Dietaries reveal 7 identified food items and an unidentified mass. Unidentified mass was the most abundant food item by occurrence (70.38%) methods followed by algae (59.26%) while mollusk, shrimp and mud (3.71% each) were the least abundant. In terms of the gravimetric method unidentified mass (59.31%) was the most abundant followed by fish bones (12.75%) while mollusk is the least (0.09%). Considering the numerical method, algae was the most abundant (85.28%) while mollusk was the least (0.20%). Generally, unidentified mass, algae, insect parts, fish bone and mud constituted major proportions in fish ranging in size from 36.0 to 56.5 cm standard length while unidentified mass, algae, and fish parts formed the major proportions in fish ranging from 56.6 to 77.0 cm. The feeding activities were highest in July and lowest in August. The lowest mean monthly condition factor for male were recorded in June (1.61 ± 0.04) and September (1.66 ± 0.00) while female was recorded in October (1.59 ± 2.82). The highest mean monthly condition factor for males occurred in August (1.93 ± 0.14) while females occurred in May (2.06 ± 0.13) and June (2.02 ± 0.89). On the whole, females were in better condition compared to the males.
Pages: 20-25  |  Views: 2594  Downloads: 1392  |  Citation: 0
Call for book chapter