TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE                                                                                                            PAGE

Title Page        -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           i

Dedication       -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           ii

Acknowledgement      -           -           -           -           -           -           -           iii

Certification    -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           iv

Table of content          -           -           -           -           -           -           -           v

List of tables   -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           ix

List of figures  -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           xi

Abstract          -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           xii

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction          -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           1

1.1   Justification         -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           6

1.2 Aims and objectives          -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           6

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Literature review   -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           7

2.1 Length- weight relationship          -           -           -           -           -           -           -           7

2.3 Size           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           8

2.4 Condition factor    -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           9

2.5 Food and feeding habit     -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           9

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Materials and method       -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           12

3.1 Study area -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           12

3.2 Procurement of fish sample          -           -           -           -           -           -           -           12

3.3 Preservation          -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           13

3.4 Fish sample identification and measurement        -           -           -           -           -           13

3.5 Abundance of fish species            -           -           -           -           -           -           -           14

3.5.1 Relative abundance                    -           -           -           -           -           -           -           14

3.5.2 Index of preponderance -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           14

3.5.3 Length-weight relationship and Abundance     -           -           -           -           -           15

3.5.4 Condition factor -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           16

3.6 Analysis of the gut            -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           16

3.6.1 Numerical abundance method   -           -           -           -           -           -           -           17

3.6.2 Frequency of occurrence method          -           -           -           -           -           -           17

3.6.3 Relative frequency         -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           17

3.6.4 Index of food dominance           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           18

3.6.5 Index of relative importance      -           -           -           -           -           -           -           18

3.6.6 Gastrostomatic index     -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           19

3.6 7 Gut repletion index        -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           19

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 Result        -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           20

4.1 Fish species composition -           -      -     -         -           -           -           -           20

4.2.3 Seasonal abundance       -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           24

4.3 Condition factor    -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           27

4.4 Length-weight relationship           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           28

4.4.1 B and r values    -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           28

4.5 Dietary spectra      -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           34

4.5.1 Size variation     -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           39

4.5.2 Feeding activity -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           39

4.5.3 Fish diet composition     -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           39

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1 Discussion -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           51

5.2 Conclusion            -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           57

REFERENCE           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           60

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Monthly Abundance of Fish Species Sampled in Ibaka, of the coast of the

   Cross River estuary, southern, Nigeria.       -           -           -           -           -           23

Table 2: Species composition by weight and length and number, condition factor and

   Index of Preponderance fish species sampled in Ibaka, off the coast of the

   Cross River estuary, Southern Nigeria. .     -           -           -           -           -           25

Table 3: Length-weight relationship indices of fish species sampled in Ibaka,

   Cross River estuary, Nigeria.   .       -           -           -           -           -           -           29

Table 4: Number of specimen examined, specimen with food, specimen without food

   and their percentages, of fish sampled in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross

   River estuary, Nigeria.         -           -           -           -           -           -           -           35

Table 5: Percentage total stomach fullness of the fish species sampled in Ibaka, off the

   coast of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria. . -           -           -           -           41

Table 6: Monthly Categorization of Percentage Fullness of the Fish species Sampled in

  Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross River estuary, Ibaka Southern Nigeria-     -           36

Table 7: Gut repletion index, average gut fullness, mean gastrostomatic index (%),

   and the feeding activity fish species sampled in Ibaka, off the coast of the

   Cross River estuary, Ibaka Southern Nigeria.          -           -           -           -           37

Table 8: Table showing index of food dominance for Chrisichthyes nigrodigitatus fish

               sampled in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.-         -           42

Table 9: Table showing index of food dominance for Pentanemus quinquarius fish

   sampled in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.-         -           43

Table 10: Table showing index of food dominance for Trichurus lepturus fish sampled

     in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.-          -           -           44

Table 11: Table showing index of food dominance for Mugil cephalus fish sampled

     in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.-          -           -           45

Table 12: Table showing index of food dominance for Ephippion guttifer fish sampled

     in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.-          -           -           46

Table 13: Table showing index of food dominance for Sardinella rouxi fish sampled

     in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.-          -           -           47

Table 14: Table showing index of food dominance for Polydactylus quandrifilis fish

     sampled in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.-       -           48

Table 15: Table showing index of food dominance for Pseudotolitus elongatus fish

     sampled in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross River estuary, Ibaka Southern

Nigeria.       -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           49

Table 16: Table showing index of food dominance for Pseudotolitus senegalensis fish

     sampled in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.-       -           50

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Map of Cross River estuary, showing the study site.          -           -           - `        15

Figure 2: Numerical composition of fish species sampled in Ibaka, Cross River

estuary, Nigeria.    -           -           -                       -           -           -           -           21

Figure 3: Seasonal Abundance of Fish Species sampled in Ibaka, off the coast of the Cross

               River estuary, Southern Nigeria.     -           -           -           -           -           -           24

Figure 4: Length-weight Relationship of Pseudotolitus Senegalensis in Ibaka, off the

    coast of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.- -           -           -           -           30

Fig 5: Length-weight relationship of Ephippion guttifer in Ibaka, off the coast of

           the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.         -           -           -           -           -           -           30

Fig 6: Length-weight relationship of Pentanemus quinquarius in Ibaka, off the coast

          of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.      -           -           -           -           -           -           31

Fig 7: Length-weight relationship of Pseudotolitus elongates in Ibaka, off the coast of

the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.         -           -           -           -           -           -           31

Fig 8: Length-weight relationship of Chrisichthyes nigrodigitatus in Ibaka, off the coast

of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.     -           -           -           -           -           -           32

Fig 9: Length-weight relationship of Polydactylus quandrifilis in Ibaka, off the coast

of the Cross River estuary, Nigeria.    -           -           -           -           -           -           32

Fig 10: Length-weight relationship of Trichirus lepturus in Ibaka off the coast of