Assessing the Length-Weight Relationship of Sarotherodongalilaeus in Bontanga Reservoir of Ghana

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue IV, April 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705

Assessing the Length-Weight Relationship of Sarotherodongalilaeus in Bontanga Reservoir of Ghana

Eunice Ativi Elorm

Department of Renewable Natural Resources, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
and
Fisheries Commission, Akosombo, Ghana

Abstract- Length – This study assess the length-weight relationships and the condition factor of Sarotherodongalilaeus in Bontanga reservoir in Ghana. The study was conducted  between November 2016 to March 2017. Using W = aL^b, the length-weight relationships of the species were calculated. Condition factors of the species were obtained using the formula: W*100/L³. A total of 300   S. galilaeus were measured with total length size range of 7.0 cm to 17.4cm and weight ranging from 7.4g to 92g.The slope b of the length-weight relationships of S. galilaeus were within the acceptable range of 2.5 to 3.5 with a b value of 3.028 and can be used to approximate the weight for the species in the reservoir. The monthly condition factor for this study ranges between 4.12-4.89 showed that S. Galilaeus was in a good state of wellbeing.The average temperature was 27.33^oC, DO 6.34mg/l, turbidity was 45.88NTU, transparency 76.88cm, Conductivity was 71.49µs/cm and pH 7.2 showed the reservoir was slightly alkaline. The observed physico-chemical parameters were all within optimal range for fish growth.

Keywords- Fishery, Length-weight relationship, ofsarotherodo Ngalilaeus, physiochemical parameters, Bontanga reservoir -Ghana.

I. INTRODUCTION

Among the freshwater cichlids of commercial importance which are mostly exploited as food fish, tilapias are the most common which include the members of the genera Oreochromis,Sarotherodon and Tilapia(Blay, 2009).They are an important source of food for people and also very common in the country.And they constitute the most important tilapia species in Ghana(Blay, 2009).Sarotherodongalilaeusis a tilapia species of the cichlid familyand found to strive in wide range of water bodies in the tropics including fresh and brackish waters at a depth of about 5m (Bailey, 1994). It strives between the temperatures 22^oC–28^oC(Bagenal, 1967). They are often associated with beds of submerged vegetation in lakes and feed on organic debris. They are bi-parental mouth brooders and occasionally form school or territories (Bailey, 1994).

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