Occurrence and food habits of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepède, 1803) in the Pra River Estuary, Ghana

Isaac Okyere; Eunice Efua Boahemaa-Kobil

doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190315071516

2021, Vol: 3, Issue: 1

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Original Article

J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. 2020; 1(1): 29-34

doi: 10.5455/jfcom.20190315071516

Occurrence and food habits of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepède, 1803) in the Pra River Estuary, Ghana

Isaac Okyere, Eunice Efua Boahemaa-Kobil.

Abstract
This study assessed how environmental parameters such as salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO) and turbidity influenced occurrence of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus population in the Pra Estuary, their food habits, and how food preferences vary amongst the sizes. Fish were sampled from January to April 2017 using cast net. Physicochemical parameters were measured in situ using multi-parametric water quality checker. Length and weight of fish were determined, and with the aid of dissecting microscope, stomach contents were examined using the frequency of occurrence and points methods. Salinity showed a general downward trend with the highest of 30 in January and lowest of 1 in April, DO fluctuated between 4 mg/L and 5 mg/L, while turbidity increased progressively from 8 NTU in January to 207 NTU in April. The number of fish caught decreased as turbidity increased and salinity decreased. A total of 282 specimens measuring 8.0 cm to 42.5 cm (TL) were sampled of which fish smaller than 17 cm were dominant. The catfish fed on detritus, insects, polychaetes, oligochaetes, bivalves, amphipods, shrimps, crabs and fish, with detrital matter being the most consumed food item. Recommendations are made for management considerations to address illegal mining activities which silt the estuary as well as regulate fishing practices such as the use of small meshed-nets that capture juveniles and bottom drag nets that deplete the food of the catfish.

Key words: Pra Estuary, Water quality, Bagrid catfish, Food habits, Fisheries Management

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Pubmed Style

Okyere I, Boahemaa-Kobil EE. Occurrence and food habits of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepède, 1803) in the Pra River Estuary, Ghana. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. 2020; 1(1): 29-34. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190315071516

Web Style

Okyere I, Boahemaa-Kobil EE. Occurrence and food habits of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepède, 1803) in the Pra River Estuary, Ghana. https://www.jfcomonline.com/?mno=37199 [Access: October 13, 2023]. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190315071516

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Okyere I, Boahemaa-Kobil EE. Occurrence and food habits of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepède, 1803) in the Pra River Estuary, Ghana. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. 2020; 1(1): 29-34. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190315071516

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Okyere I, Boahemaa-Kobil EE. Occurrence and food habits of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepède, 1803) in the Pra River Estuary, Ghana. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. (2020), [cited October 13, 2023]; 1(1): 29-34. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190315071516

Harvard Style

Okyere, I. & Boahemaa-Kobil, . E. E. (2020) Occurrence and food habits of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepède, 1803) in the Pra River Estuary, Ghana. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt, 1 (1), 29-34. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190315071516

Turabian Style

Okyere, Isaac, and Eunice Efua Boahemaa-Kobil. 2020. Occurrence and food habits of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepède, 1803) in the Pra River Estuary, Ghana. Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management, 1 (1), 29-34. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190315071516

Chicago Style

Okyere, Isaac, and Eunice Efua Boahemaa-Kobil. "Occurrence and food habits of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepède, 1803) in the Pra River Estuary, Ghana." Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management 1 (2020), 29-34. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190315071516

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Okyere, I. & Boahemaa-Kobil, . E. E. (2020) Occurrence and food habits of the bagrid catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepède, 1803) in the Pra River Estuary, Ghana. Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management, 1 (1), 29-34. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190315071516

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About Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management About JFCoM The Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management (JFCoM) is an initiative of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (DFAS) and the ... Read more. For best results, please use Internet Explorer or Google Chrome.	Contact Information Editor-in-Chief Prof. Frederick Ato Armah University of Cape Coast Department of Environmental Sciences Email: farmah@ucc.edu.gh JFCoM Editorial Office 3rd Floor, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences University of Cape Coast, Ghana Phone: +233 209 030 342 Email: jfcom.journal@gmail.com