LENGTH-WEIGHT RELATIONSHIP AND CONDITION FACTOR OF AFRICAN SNAKEHEAD PARACHANNA AFRICANA (STEINDACHNER, 1879) FROM IJEDE AND AGBOWA LAGOONS, LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The knowledge of length-weight relationship parameters has numerous practical applications in fishery research and management. Currently, there is a dearth of information on the growth pattern and state of well-being of Parachanna africana in Ijede and Agbowa Lagoons. This study period was between December 2017, and June 2018 investigated the allometry and condition factor of P. africana inhabiting the Ijede and Agbowa Lagoons, South-western Nigeria. Two hundred fish samples of P. africana was gotten from fishermen at both locations. The length and weight measurements were taken to the nearest centimetres and grams. Descriptive, correlation and regression tools, was used to 2analyse the data collected. Results obtained showed that the length-weight relationship had r values of 0.186, 0.196, 0.191 and 0.341, 0.001, 0.098 for Ijede and Agbowa respectively, at a significant level of P<0.05 for male, female and combined sexes. The b values of 0.193 for Ijede and 0.165 for Agbowa were not significantly different (P> 0.05). The mean condition factors of 0.365 ±0.141 and 0.329±0.169 were obtained in Ijede and Agbowa, respectively. It was observed that the species in both lagoons exhibited negative allometric growth patterns with values 0.365 and 0.330 for Ijede and Agbowa lagoons respectively with no variations in the condition factors of both locations which indicate the need to assess human and domestic activities surrounding these water bodies.