Abstract
Morphometric relationships of African big barb, Labeobarbus intermedius (Ruppell, 1836) (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in Lake Koka, Ethiopia was studied based on the total number of 266 adult fish samples collected in April-May and July-August 2011. Fish ranging from 23.3 to 49.0 cm in total length (35±4.1 cm) and from 95.4 to 1200 g in total weight (434.4±206.5 g) were randomly sampled. Of these, 55.6% (n=148) were males and 44.4% (n=118) were females. The length-weight relationship of the males, females and combined fish were curvilinear and statistically significant (P 0.01). Length-length relationships between total length (TL) and fork length (FL), fork length (FL) and standard length (SL), TL and SL were linear and statistically significant (P 0.01). The overall condition factor for all sampling period was 1.0. Key words: Allometric growth, Labeobarbus intermedius, condition factor, Lake Koka, length-weight relationship.
Highlights
The African big barb, Labeobarbus intermedius is a widely distributed fish species in Northern Kenya and in most parts of Ethiopian drainage basins (Dadebo et al, 2013). It is present in Ethiopian rift valley basin, Abay basin and Baro-Akobo basin part of Ethiopia, where Lake Tana harbor the largest population (Vijverberg et al, 2012; Awoke, 2015)
Recently the consumption of L. intermedius from rift valley lakes (Lake Hawassa and Lake Koka) declined, because it was found to be unsafe for human consumption due to its high mercury concentration (Mengesha, 2009)
The fishery of Lake Koka is dominated by five fish species: Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), Common carp (Cyprinus carpio), the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus), African big barb (L. intermedius) and small cyprinodont minnow (Aplocheilichthyes antinorii).The total annual fish landing from the lakes is estimated to be about 625 tonnes/year, where Nile tilapia takes the largest part of the catch (cover about 59% (327 tonnes) of the total landings per year) (LFDP, 1997)
Summary
The African big barb, Labeobarbus intermedius is a widely distributed fish species in Northern Kenya and in most parts of Ethiopian drainage basins (Dadebo et al, 2013). It is present in Ethiopian rift valley basin, Abay basin and Baro-Akobo basin part of Ethiopia, where Lake Tana harbor the largest population (Vijverberg et al, 2012; Awoke, 2015). It is one of the most commercially important fish species in the country (Desta et al, 2006; Bjørklis, 2004).
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