The Fishes of Agorin and Yoyoyan Coastal Waters, in Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria

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1 Nigerian Journal of Fisheries and Aquaculture Nigerian Journal of Fisheries and Aquaculture 5(2):76 85, September 2017 Copy, Right 2013 Printed in Nigeria. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria Available on line: ISSN Nig. J. Fish. Aquac. The Fishes of Agorin and Yoyoyan Coastal Waters, in Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria *Whenu, O.O., Mekuleyi, G.O. and Osodein, O.A. Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria. Received April 24, 2017 Accepted July 15, 2017 ABSTRACT The study was carried out between January and April 2009, in order to assess the fishes of Agorin and Yovoyan coastal water in Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria. The fish samples from the coastal water bodies were sampled twice in a week from the fishermen s catch. Data were also collected through the administration of structured questionnaires and personal interviews with fishermen. Twenty (20) fish species from 12 families with a total of 19,043 fish and (472.72kg) were recorded. The overall average weight/fish recorded at Yovoyan was 0.03±0.001kg while Agorin had 0.02± 0.001kg. The number of catches increased from January to April. Pseudotolithus elongatus was the most abundant species with 43.81% and 32.78% by number at Agorin and Yovoyan, respectively. The least abundant species at Agorin was Acanthurus monroviae (0.05% by number) while Albula vulpes was the least abundant species with 0.23% by number at Yovoyan. Though, Callinectes pallidus of length 4.75±0.06cm was the smallest fish size recorded from both water bodies, the species with the highest length was Arius gigas with a length of 122.5± 1.02cm and121. 0±0.98 at Yovoyan and Agorin respectively. The length of the canoes used in the two villages ranged from 150cm to 1300cm. The most common canoes and gear used in the two villages are Ghana type canoe (1000cm) and boat seine respectively, while the less common canoe and gear respectively are dugout canoe and cast net. Fish smoking was the predominant fish preservation method while fresh fish were sold per kilogram at the landing site. Some of the hindrances against the performance of the fishermen in these villages were lack of funds, age barrier and unwillingness of the active youth to engage in fishing business due to a psychological effect of being addressed as a fisherman. There is an urgent need to monitor the water body in these villages as well as financial and material support to the fisher folks in order to enhance the improvement of market supply of fish to boost its consumption in the diet of Nigerians as well as conservation of these diverse fish species. Key words: Fisheries, coastal villages, consumption, biodiversity INTRODUCTION The contribution of fisheries sector to Nigeria s economy is important in the provision of income to rural fishermen, employment opportunities and cheapest protein source for the citizenry as well as foreign exchange earnings. Most of Nigeria s fisheries are exploited by small sized canoe fishery (artisanal fishery) which contributed about 90% of the fish landing of the Nigerian inshore waters annually (Bolorunduro, 2001), Fish farmers (1%) and industrial capture fisheries (14%) (FDF, 2004). Approximately 200 million Africans rely on fish as an important part of their diet while ten million houses directly derive income from fish production, such as processing or trade. Yet the enormous potentials of fisheries to help feed and improve the nutritional status of the rapidly increasing population of Africa is greatly underrealized and precious aquatic resources are being degraded (Taiwo, 2008). According to Adekoya and Miller (2004), Fish represents about 55% of the protein sources intake of Nigerians. However, a demand, supply gap of at least 0.7 million metric tons exists annually with imports, making up the shortfall at a cost of about 2.0 million US dollars every five years (Jim and Tunde, 2004). In Lagos State, several initiated innovation programs have contributed greatly to the augmentation in production from the artisanal fishery sector of the State from 19,534 tonnes in 1995 to 22, 191 tonnes in 2007 (FDF, 2008). However, the above figures might have been underestimated as the fishing activity of Agorin and Yovoyan villages in Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos *Corresponding Author tosingabriel76@yahoo.com

2 State is yet to be estimated. The objectives of this study, therefore, is to examine the current diversity, catch composition, abundance and size distribution of fish species landed from Agorin and Yovoyan coastal water, fishing methods, preservation/processing methods; marketing strategies and methods as well as factors responsible for low/high catches in these two villages. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study area The fish samples were collected from Agorin and Yovoyan coastal water bodies in Badagry (fig. 1). Badagry is one of the maritime towns of Lagos State, located 57km from Lagos on Longitude and E, and Latitude and N. Agorin and Yovoyan are bounded in the west by Seme-Border, and wholly bounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the south. The topography of these villages are made up of scrub, orchard, and palm fronds which spread between the southern part of Badagry creek and sandy beach of the Atlantic Ocean. Fig. 1: Map of Lagos showing sampling sites. = Sampling sites Data collection Each of the villages was sampled two days per week during which observations were made on the fishing operations and data were collected through the administration of structured questionnaires, personal interviews and participation in direct measurements of fish. The fish samples observed and collected at the sampling sites were identified using FAO (2002) species identification guide while the length and weight of the fish species were obtained by direct measurement of catches of fishermen using meter rule and weighing balance (Harvard trip balance) measured to the nearest 0.1cm and 0.1kg respectively. Data analysis The data were analysed through descriptive statistics such as mean, percentage and frequency distribution while the mean values of length and weight of fish between the two villages are checked for significance using t test. 77

3 RESULTS Species composition in the two villages Sixteen genera of fin fish consisting of 18 species and 11families, and two genera of shell fish comprises of 2 species and one family respectively, were recorded from the two stations (Agorin and Yovoyan) as shown in Tables 1 and 2. The total number of fish landed at these villages was 19,043 and these weighed kg. At Agorin, 9,586 fish weighing (234.83kg) was obtained while a total of 9,457 (237.44kg) was gotten from Yovoyan. Yovoyan recorded highest average weight per fish (0.211± 0.02kg) for the fin fish (from Ethmalosa fimbriata to Albula vulpes) was found in Arius gigas while the least value was obtained from Ilisha africana (0.011±0.001kg). Between the two shellfishes which belong to the family Portunidae, Portunus validus had the greater average weight value of 0.024±0.001kg per fish. Pseudotolithus elongatus was most abundant with a total percentage weight of 29.82% and32.78% by number, while the least abundant species was Albula vulpes (0.23% by number. and 0.93% by weight). Similarly, Ariusgigas has the highest average weight per fish (0.27 kg±0.02) among the fin fishes at Agorin. The most abundant species were P. elongatus (39.12% weight and 43.81% no.), while A. monroviae (0.05% no. and 0.21% weight) was the least abundant species. Also, between the two shell fishes observed C. pallidus had the greater weight average (0.14± 0.01kg). Furthermore, the overall average weight/fish recorded at Yovoyan was 0.03 ± 0.001kg while Agorin had 0.02±0.001 kg. However, there were no significant differences in the weight of each fish compared between the two villages. Table 1: Percentage species composition by Number and weight of fish from Yovoyan coastal waters (January April, 2009) Family Fish species No %No Wt(kg) %wt Av.wt/fish(kg) Clupeidae Ethmalosa fimbriata ±0.98 a ±0.001 b Clupeidae Ilisha africana ±0.15 a ±0.001 b Clupeidae Sardinella aurita ±0.78 b ± b Ariidae Arius gigas ±3.40 b ±0.020 b Carangidae Caranx latus ±0.96 b ±0.002 b Carangidae Chloroscombrus chrysurus ±0.08 a ±0.001 b Carangidae Selene dorsalis ±0.05 b ±0.001 b Branchiostegidae Branchiostegussemifasciatus ±0.05 b ±0.001 b Scianidae Pseudotolithus elongatus ±4.62 a ±0.001 b Scianidae Pseudotolithus epipercus ±2.56 a ±0.001 b Scianidae Pseudotolithus typus ±2.45 a ±0.001 b Drepanidae Drepane africana ±0.98 a ±0.001 b Polynemidae Galeoides decadactylus ±1.06 a ±0.001 b Polynemidae Pentanemus quinquarius ±1.00 b ±0.001 b Acanthuridae Acanthurus monroviae ±0.94 a ±0.001 b Trichiuridae Trichiurus lepturus ±1.05 a ±0.001 b Cynoglossidae Cynoglossus browni ±0.68 b ±0.001 b Albulidae Albula vulpes ±0.26 b ±0.001 b Portunidae Callinectes pallidus ±0.30 b ±0.001 b Portunidae Portunus validus ±0.30 b ±0.001 b Total Means in the same row having similar superscript are not significantly different (p >0.05). Key:No = Number, Wt = Weight, Av = Average 78

4 Table 2: Percentage species composition by Number and weight of fish from Agorin costal water (January- April, 2009) Fish species No. %No. Wt(kg) %wt Av.wt/fish(kg) Ethmalosa fimbriata ±1.05 a ±0.001 b Ilisha africana ±0.01 a ±0.001 b Sardinella aurita ±0.08 b ±0.001 b Arius gigas ±4.61 b ±0.020 b Caranx latus ±0.95 b ±0.001 b Chloroscombrus chrysurus ±1.00 a ±0.001 b Selene dorsalis ±0.05 b ±0.001 b Branchiostegussemifasciatus ±0.75 b ±0.001 b Pseudotolithus elongatus ±4.82 a ±0.001 b Pseudotolithus epipercus ±2.40 a ±0.001 b Pseudotolithus typus ±2.58 a ±0.001 b Drepane africana ±0.12 a ±0.001 b Galeoides decadactylus ±1.00 a ±0.001 b Pentanemus quinquarius ±1.10 b ±0.001 b Acanthurus monroviae ±0.20 a ±0.001 b Trichiurus lepturus ±1.08 a ±0.001 b Cynoglossus browni ±0.25 b ±0.001 b Albula vulpes ±0.65 b ±0.01b Callinectes pallidus ±0.62 b ±0.01 b Portunus validus ±0.98 b ±0.001 b Total Means in the same row having similar superscript are not significantly different (p >0.05) Length distribution of fishes caught from Agorin and Yovoyan coastal waters The variation in the lengths of the fish species in Agorin and Yovoyan was represented in Table 3. The smallest, longest recorded at Agorin was in shell fish crab, C. pallidus which was 4.75±0.06cm. For the fin-fish, the smallest size of 13.5± 0.45cm was recorded in I. africana. The highest sized species was A. gigs with a length of 122.5±1.02cm. At Yovoyan, the highest sized species was A. gigas with 121±0.98cm. The smallest length recorded in the fin-fish was I. africana of 14.0±0.47cm, while the smallest size obtained in the shell fish was C. pallidus with 4.75± 0.06 cm. The overall mean for the length of all the 20 fish species was 35.25±0.69 cm and 36.24± 0.71cm for Agorin and Yovoyan, respectively. Size of canoes and catch per canoe The length of the canoes used in exploiting the fish in the two villages ranged from 150cm to 1300cm. At Agorin, the most common canoe lengths were 1200cm and 1000cm (used by 50% of the respondents) while the size of 1000cm (was owned by 35.71% of the respondents) dominated at Yovoyan. Also, the most frequent widths of the canoes at Agorin and Yovoyan respectively, were 160cm (33.33%) and 130cm (28.57%) respectively as shown in Table 4. The length of the canoe is proportional to the width while both length and width determines the size of outboard engine to be used. The mean length of the canoes in Agorin and Yovoyan were 925cm and 996cm respectively, while the average width was 146cm and 135cm at Agorin and Yovoyan respectively. The overall mean catches per canoe for the entire study as recorded from the fishermen was 292, 365, 511, and 674 for January, February, March and April respectively. 79

5 Table 3: Variation in the lengths of the fish species caught from Agorin and Yovoyan coastal waters (January- April, 2009) Fish Species Agorin Yovoyan Range (cm) Mean Range (cm) Mean Ethmalosa fimbriata ±0.57 b ±0.58 b Ilisha africana ±0.45 b ±0.47 b Sardinella aurita ±0.53 b ±0.56 b Arius gigas ±1.02 a ±0.98 a Caranx latus ±0.90 a ±0.86 a Chloroscombrus chrysurus ±0.60 a ±0.62 a Selene dorsalis ±0.56 b ±0.56 b Branchiostegus semifasciatus ±0.66 b ±0.66 b Pseudotolithus elongatus ±0.72 a ±0.72 a Pseudotolithus epipercus ±0.75 a ±0.78 a Pseudotolithus typus ±0.93 a ±0.86 a Drepane africana ±0.69 a ±0.68 a Galeoides decadactylus ±0.66 a ±0.64 a Pentanemus quinquarius ±0.54 b ±0.57 b Acanthurus monroviae ±0.74 a ±0.75 a Trichiurus lepturus ±0.78 a ±0.82 a Cynoglossus browni ±0.61 b ±0.63 b Albula vulpes ±0.79 a ±0.80 a Callinectes pallidus ±0.06 b ±0.06 b Portunus validus ±0.06 b ±0.07 b Means in the same row having similar superscript are not significantly different (p >0.05) Table 4: Frequency of lengths and widths of canoes used in Agorin and Yovoyan coastal waters Length(cm) Agorin Yovoyan Frequency Width Frequency Length Frequency Width Frequency (cm) (cm) (cm) Total Source: Field Survey, 2009 Operational Cost of fishing in the Agorin and Yovoyan coastal water Thirty-two fishing trips were recorded at each sample station as shown in Table 5.A total sum of ( 42, 800) and ( 41,600) were spent as operational cost in Agorin and Yovoyan respectively during the fishing activities. 80

6 Table 5: Fishing Trips and Cost of Fishing in Agorin and Yovoyan coastal water Months Agorin Yovoyan No. of Cost per Hours of No. of trips Cost/ Duration/ trips trip ( ) Fishing/trip trips( ) trip January February March April Total 32 42, , Source: Field Survey, 2009 Income generated per each Station The total amount realized from the sales of fish species at the sampling sites of these villages during the study is represented in table 6. Pseudotolithus species and Arius gigas were sold at 400/kg, while other fish species are sold at 350/kg. A sum of 36,744 was gotten from the sales of P.elongatus-which is the highest income at Agorin while the least income was obtained from the sales of A.monrovia ( 175). The least and highest amount gotten from the sales of fish at Yovoyan, is B. semifasciatus ( 525) and P. elongatus ( 27,120) respectively. In terms of family, a total sum of 63, 876 and 56,868 were income gotten from Scianidae at Agorin and Yovoyan respectively, and these represent the major source of income for the fisherfolks in the two villages. Table 6: Total Landing and selling price of fish species caught from Agorin and Yovoyan coastal water (January - April, 2009) Fish Species Agorin Yovoyan Weight(kg) Price( ) Weight(kg) Price( ) Ethmalosa fimbriata , ,610 Ilisha africana Sardinella aurita Arius gigas , ,000 Caranx latus , ,225 Chloroscombrus chrysurus , Selene dorsalis Branchiostegus semifasciatus Pseudotolithus elongatus , ,120 Pseudotolithus epipercus , ,500 Pseudotolithus typus , ,248 Drepane africana , ,990 Galeoides decadactylus , ,325 Pentanemus quinquarius , ,010 Acanthurus monroviae ,625 Trichiurus lepturus , ,870 Cynoglossus browni ,260 Albula vulpes Callinectes pallidus ,225 Portunus validus Total , ,212.5 Source: Field Survey,

7 Socio-economic characteristics of the fishermen of the Agorin and Yovoyan coastal water sample stations Figures 2-6, showed the results of the socioeconomic features of fisher folks in the two villages. The active age groups in Agorin and Yovoyan, respectively, are 26-47years (67%) and years (65%) as indicated (fig. 2). Most of the fisher folks are literate and the proportion of these (fig. 3) was 75 and 68% in Yovoyan and Agorin, respectively. Sixty percent (60%) of the fishermen in Yovoyan had been in the fishing business between 17 to 28years, while 45% of their colleagues had the same year of experience at Agorin (Figure4). The sources of finance and processing method embraced by the fishermen in the two villages were represented in figure 5 and 6 respectively. The results showed that 78% of fishermen in Agorin and 22% of the fishermen in Yovoyan used personal savings to run the business while 22% in Yovoyan got loan from cooperative society. All the fishermen processed their fish by smoking. However, 80 and 78% respectively in Yovoyan and Agorin used drum smoking kiln as type of smoking kiln. Similarly, 22 and 20% of the fishermen in Agorin and Yovoyan respectively, smoked their fish with mud wall oven kiln (Figure 6). Prior to smoking, fish are kept buried in the beach sand to avert deterioration of quality Yovoyon Agorin Age group Fig 2: Age of the fishermen operating in Agorin and Yovoyan coastal waters Yovoyon Fig 4: Fishing Experience of the Fishermen in Agorin and Yovoyan Agorin Yovoyon 0 Non-formal Primary Secondary Tertiary Fig 3: Educational Status of the Fishermen in Agorin and Yovoyon coastal waters Yovoyon Agorin Cooperative Society Personal Finance Source Fig 5: Sources of Fund for Fishermen in Agorin and Yovoyan Villages 82

8 Yovoyon Agorin Drum Kiln Fig 6: Fish Smoking Kiln type practice in Agorin and Yovoyan DISCUSSION The 12 families represented by 20 species of fish recorded during this study were in agreement with FDF (2008) report on the common marine fish species present in Nigeria. However, some families of fish such as Lutjanidae, Seronidae and Pomadasydae were no found during this study. This could be due to geographical and seasonal variation as reported by Lawson et al. (2005). The number of increased catches recorded from January to April affirmed the work of Ajayi (1994) who reported that the peak of coastal fishing lies between October and April. A total of 19,043 fishes (472.27kg) obtained from the two stations during this study was higher than those reported by Bolarinwa et al. (2016) from Gberefu and Yovoyan coastal waters. The variation of catches also buttresses the report of Babatunde et al. (2008) who disclosed that more time spent in fishing aids more catch. The slight difference in the catch composition which favours Agorin over Yovoyan may also be attributed to age and fishing experience (Olomola, 1991). However, these factors could be insignificant since the average weight per fish across the coastal water does not differ significantly (p>0.05). The catch composition dominated by Pseudotolithus species, especially Pseudotolithus elongatus indicated that there was an abundance of this species of fish in the two beaches. These findings were in agreement with the report of Ayodele and Adetola (2002) who found that Pseudotolithus species contributed higher among the marine species encountered in all the harvests analyzed in Lagos coastal wetlands. However, the sizes of these Pseudotolithus species are small when compared with what was obtained in the industrial fishery sector. This may therefore imply that the species could still be at the juvenile stage and the continuous catch of these sizes might result in growth overfishing. The weight of the fish is also a function of the length. For instance, the few number of Arius gigas as represented in the catch had as high as 30% of the total weight of P. elongatus in the catch. The major constraint limiting the performance of the fishermen as recorded at the sampling stations was lack of fund to purchase better fishing craft that will enable them to travel farther into the sea. This problem was in agreement with the work of Forde (1994) and Clark et al. (2005). Another factor that could have contributed to the low catch was the possible over fishing on the beach. The major gear use in these two sites as observed during sampling is beach seine. This was also in agreement with the report of Koranteng (2001) and Watson et al. (2006). The dominant size of the canoe used at both stations was 1000cm of the Ghana type canoe which agreed with the work of Pauly (2006). The catches 83 Mud Wall Oven

9 were sold per kilogram in the study area which can enhance determination of what the price of a species command. This development affirmed the report of Korantenget al. (1998), Dankwa et al. (2004) and Babatunde et al. (2008). The most popular preservation methods in Agorin and Yovoyan was smoking. This observation was in agreement with the work of Lawson et al. (2005) who had earlier reported that smoking of fish in Badagry creek was mainly done with traditional smoking kiln fabricated from aluminium drum. It is obvious, therefore, that the waters in these two villages have a great potential of Pseudotolithus species, which is one of the most valuable marine fish species in Nigeria. Therefore, these two villages, could in no time become one of the prosperous communities in Nigeria if proper attentions are given to these fishing communities. Also, it is believed that an improved fish catch in these two villages will lead to an improved market supply of fish and a cut in unit price. With this, the catch levels, market supply and the consumption of fish in the diets of Nigerians will improve. REFERENCES Adekoya, B.B. and Millers, J. I. R. (2004). Fish cage culture potential in Nigeria. An Overview National Agriculture Magazine Published by Fandatom. Consultants Limited, Abuja, 22Pp. Ajayi, T. O. (1994). The status of the marine fisheries of the Gulf of Guinea. A paper presented at the tenth session of CECAF Working Party on Resources Evaluation held in Accra, Ghana, October, CEFAF/RE/94/2 Add. September, 1994:16Pp. Ayodele, I. A. and Adetola, J.O. (2002). Fish Resources of Lagos State Coastal Wetlands. African Journal of Livestock Extension, 9(1): Babatunde, E.E., Lucian, O.C. and Lateef, O.A. (2008) Cast net design characteristics, catch composition and selectivity in tropical open lagoon. African Journal of Biotechnology. 7 (12): Bolarinwa, J. B., Okeowo, T. O., Fasakin, E. A. and Fagbenro, A.O. (2016). The species composition and diversity of the coastal waters of Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria. Global Journal of Agricultural Research, 4(2):1-6. Bolorunduro, P.I. (2001). Strategies for utilizing the potentials of the Nigerian fisheries subsector in rural development Nigerian Journal of Agriculture Extension, 131: Clark, C.W., Munro, G. and Sumaila, U.R. (2005) Subsidies, buybacks and sustainable fisheries. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 50: Dankwa, H.R; Shenker, J.M., Lin, J., Ofori-Danson, P.K. and Ntiamoa Baidu, Y. (2004). Fisheries of two tropical lagoons in Ghana, West Africa. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 11: Federal Department of Fisheries (F.D.F). (2008) Nigeria fish production (artisanal) by States ( ) in tonnes. Annual Report 4 th Ed. 49Pp. Federal Department of Fisheries (2004). Fisheries Statistics of Nigeria. Federal Department of Fisheries. Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Abuja. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2007). Official Gazette No. 24 Volume 94 published by the Federal Government Printing Press, Lagos, Nigeria, Food and Agriculture Organization (2002). The State of World Fisheries and Aqua culture. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, No. 442, Rome, Italy, Forde, A.C. (1994) Update on Sierra- Leone Fisheries. IDAF Technical Report No. 69 FAO, Rome, 9Pp. Jim, M. and Tunde, A.T. (2004). Opportunities in Aquaculture and Fisheries. Fisheries farming big industry in the future. National Agriculture Focus. An Agricultural News Magazine Published by Foundation. Constant Limited, Abuja, October Edited.1 (4):10Pp. Koranteng, K.A. (2001). Diversity and stability of demersal species assemblages in the Gulf of Guinea. West African Journal of Applied Ecology, 2:

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