Advances in Aquaculture and Fisheries Management ISSN: 9424-2933 Vol. 7 (7), pp. 001-014, July, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Relationship and condition factors of abundant and commercial fish species of White Volta River, Ghana

*Emmanuel Gamal Vicker, Kwasi Quarshie and Micheal Dramani

Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana. *Corresponding Authors. E-mail: emma.gamal@ug.edu.gh

Accepted 25 June, 2015

Abstract

A study to assess the length-weight relationships and the condition factors of 3 abundant and commercial fish species namely Alestes baremoze, Brycinus nurse and Schilbe intermedius in the lower reaches of the White Volta River (Yapei) was conducted from October 2011 to March 2012. Using W = aLb, the length-weight relationships of the species were calculated. Condition factors of the species were obtained using the formula: W*100/Lb. A total of 284 A. baremoze were measured with total mid length size range of 10.5 to 44.5 cm. A total of 197 B. nurse were measured and ranged from 6.5 to 27.5 cm total mid-length whereas 175 of S. intermedius were measured and had total mid length size range of 8.5 to 26.5 cm. The slope b of the length-weight relationships of the 3 species were within the acceptable range of 2.5 to 3.5 and can be used to approximate the weight for the 3 species in the lower reaches of the White Volta River. The condition factors variation of A. baremoze and B. nurse showed a pronounced change in December 2011, when the surface water temperature was lowest. S. intermedius had no significant changes in the condition factors over the study period.

Key words: White Volta River, total mid-length, size range, species, surface water temperature.