RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BASIC MORPHOMETRIC MEASUREMENT, GROWTH PATTERN AND PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF SILVER CATFISH (BAGRUS FILAMENTOSUS) FROM AGAIE- LAPAI DAM

Abstract

Relationship between basic morphometric measurement, growth pattern and cross carcass variation in the body parts of Bagrus filamentosus from Agaie-Lapai Dam, were examined and evaluated using linear regression and correlation through length-weight relationship (LWR) and proximate composition analysis. A total of 153 Bagrus filamentosus specimen were collected from the dam using gill net for a period of seven months. Sampling of the specimen was done fortnightly. The results of the biometrics of Bagrus filamentosus specimens examined provides the following information; the total length of this specimen ranges from 24.1-36.7(cm) with mean standard deviation of 29.4±3.41and a corresponding bodyweight ranging from 47.5-147.7(g) with a mean standard deviation of 103.2±14.88, while the standard length ranges from 12.4-26.5cm and a mean standard deviation of 20.2±2.88.The result of the morphometric relationships shows that there was a strong relationship between the standard length and the body weight, snout length and standard length, head length and the standard length, snout length and the body weight, head length and the body weight (P<0.05). Proximate analysis showed that the lipid and moisture were inversely proportional in the body of the fish while other nutrients in the body of the fish did not fluctuate significantly over time and nutrients were not evenly distributed among the body parts. Growth pattern analysis depicts that the growth was negatively allometric with b value of 2.17; hence it could be concluded from this study that the growth pattern of Bagrus filamentous from Agaie-lapai dam is negative allometric growth.