Gear analysis of freshwater Macrobrachium species catch at Igbedi Creek for regulation recommendation in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

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Gears are tools for fishing without which the fisher cannot gain access to the fisheries resource in Nigeria. The gears at riparian communities of Ogoubiri, Toru-Ebeni, Amassoma and Otuan along Igbedi Creek, Bayelsa, Nigeria were analyzed to evaluate the effect on the shrimp catch at the Creek, for regulation recommendation, by measuring the gears utilized and the length of the shrimps caught from each gear. This research revealed that there were three species of Palaemonidae: Macrobrachium vollenhovenii, M. macrobrachion and M. felicinum which were harvested with Hand-push nets, Non-return valve traps and Non-return net traps. The traps were generally small in size and few. A total of 156 gears, with catch ranging from 0 to 1309. The mean length and width for each gear range from 36.75±4.16cm and 25.64±2.88 cm to 38.73±3.73 cm and 26.99±2.67 cm for G1, 131.58±6.73 cm and 19.17±2.15 cm to 127.54±4.06 cm and 18.39±1.55 cm for G2, 107.58±1.70 cm and 20.27±0.58 cm to 108.01±1.65 cm and 20.35±0.03 cm for G3 and 91.44±0.00 cm and 60.96±0.00 cm to 91.64±0.52 cm and 61.21±0.98 cm for G4. The entrance hole ranging from 2.49±0.38 cm to 61.40±0.78 cm in all four locations and species catch ranging from 2.2 cm to 9.8 cm for M. macrobrachion, 2.0 cm to 12.8 cm for M. vollenhovenii and 2,5 cm to 8.4 cm for M. felicinum at the stations. The gears allow the escape of shrimps less than 1.9 cm. This implies that growth overfishing can be averted but recruitment overfishing is inevitable if the fishers continue in the free access conditions and increase catch capacity therefore, this study recommend gear size and seasonal catch regulation.