ASSESSMENTOFMORPHOMETRICVARIATIONINPOPULATIONSOFTILAPIA STRAINS (OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUSANDCOPTODON ZILLII)INKANOSTATE

Abstract

The study was aimed at assessing the morphometric variation of tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus and Coptodon zillii) from four water bodies in Kano State. A total of One hundred and ninety-two (192) fish sample of Coptodon zillii and Oreochromis niloticus were collected from (Bagwai dam, Tiga dam, Thomas dam and river Dundurun Gaya,) to assess their morphometric traits variation. A total of ten (10) morphometric traits (Body weight(BW), Total length (TL), Standard length (SL), Dorsal fin length (DFL), Caudal fin length (CFL), Anal fin length (AFL), Pectoral fin length (PFL), Pelvic ventral fin length (PVFL), Caudal peduncle depth (CPD) and Head length (HL)) were measured on each fish. The data from the morphometric measurements were computed in excel. Spss was used for Pearson correlation and Regression analysis. Results obtained revealed that there were significant differences (P<0.001 in the morphometric traits of the different populations. Correlation analysis revealed high and significant correlation coefficient between the measured traits, where the highest was observed from TL (0.981, P<0.01), and that of Coptodon zillii was higher. The correlation coefficients increase as all measured morphometric traits correlated with total length (TL), and decrease when correlated with caudal fin length (CFL). Conclusively, tilapia in the study area grows slender/strouter and heavier, and its increase in total length may not affect that of caudal fin length. It is recommended, the using Coptodon zillii in breeding programme will lead to enhancement of sustainability in tilapia production.