ASSESSMENT OF FISH FARMS WATER QUALITY ON THE CULTURED OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS AND MUGIL CEPHALUS AT EL- FAYOUM GOVERNORATE, EGYPT

Abstract

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production sectors. Therefore, increasing fish production from aquaculture systems is an important goal of the Egyptian Government as an action due to the expansion of human population and the relatively low fish production from water natural resources. Nowadays, and due to the urban civilization, the environmental conditions deteriorate and consequently fish production decrease. So, the present study highlights on the ability of two teleost fish: Oreochromis niloticus and Mugil cephalus to overcome the environmental changes in three different fish farms at El-Fayoum Governorate (El-Berka, El-Wadi and Demo fish farms). The study includes the effects of water quality, source of irrigation on the growth indices and the quality of the two fish species in the studied fish farms. Heavy metals are natural trace components of the aquatic environment, but their levels have been increased due to the industrial wastes, geochemical structure, agricultural and mining activities. All these sources of pollution affect the physicochemical characteristics of the water, sediments and biological components, thus negatively affecting the quality and quantity of fish stock.