Abstract
Because fishes live in less-accessible habitats, their remarkable diversity is rarely appreciated. The fishery sector is growing rapidly worldwide with the intention of improving the livelihood in developing nations. Therefore, conservation and management of aquatic resources become eminent. Morphometric measurements of fishes are important tools in fish biology and fisheries assessment and conservation. Ethiopia is one of the developing countries with rich water resources. Although there are plenty of water bodies in the country, they are less explored for their ichthyofaunal documentation. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the diversity and some biological aspects of fishes in Lake Maybahr. The fish sample was collected from selected sampling sites using gill nets with varying mesh sizes. Fish identification was done in the field using relevant taxonomic keys. After identification, the total length (TL) and total weight (TW) of the specimens were measured to the nearest 0.1 cm and 0.1 g, respectively. After measurement, the samples were labeled and preserved in a 10% formalin solution. Two fish species were documented in the study area. The length-weight relationships indicated that both species (C. carpio and O. niloticus) exhibited allometric growth during the wet season. But C. carpio demonstrated an isometric growth in the dry season. The diversity index (H’ = 0.69) revealed that fish diversity in the current study is far less than the result reported in the other studies. The evenness index (J’ = 0.99) showed that each species is fairly represented by a number of individuals. The correlation coefficient value of length and weight parameters is statistically significant at a 1% significance level (s, R2 = 0.85). The mean FCF revealed that both fish species are in good health. Further study on local people’s perception, initiating fishing activities, and organizing and providing training to youth is recommended.
Highlights
People hardly ever valued the extraordinary diversity of fishes since they reside in less-accessible environments
A total of 491 specimens were collected from Lake Maybahr in the whole study period. ese specimens were identified into 2 species belonging to 2 genera, 2 families, and 2 orders (Table 1). e fish species recorded in the current study are Oreochromis niloticus and Cyprinus carpio
Better condition is associated with higher fat content, increased food availability, reproductive potential, and more favorable environmental conditions [23]. e results of mean Fulton Condition Factor (FCF) in the present study revealed that both fish species are in good health in the dry season compared to the wet season. is could be because of the fact that, in the wet season, water becomes more turbid as much sediment could be transported to the water system by the incoming runoff. is could result in clogging of gills in fish, thereby exposing them to various diseases and deterioration in their health
Summary
People hardly ever valued the extraordinary diversity of fishes since they reside in less-accessible environments Their remarkable diversity has accounted for an estimated total of 32,600 living fish species, in 536 families and 85 orders, exceeding all other species of vertebrates combined [1]. E fishery sector is growing rapidly worldwide with the intention of supplying the cheap source of animal protein for improving the livelihood and food security in the developing nations For this reason, conservation and management of aquatic resources become eminent. It is important to bear in mind, that the diversity and abundance of Ethiopian fish fauna are not complete and further works are still underway
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