THE FISH ASSEMBLAGE OF THE LOWER BONNY RIVER, NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA

The fish assemblage of the lower Bonny river of the Niger delta with its adjoining creeks was studied. Local fishing gear was used in the collection of samples, which yielded 25 families made up of 57 species. Of these 25 families, some were residents of the main river (Cynoglossus senegalensis, Arius heudoloti, Pentanemus quinquarius and Trichurus lepturus) whilst others were creek residents (e.g. Tilapia guineensis, Sarotherodon melanotheron, Citharichthys stamfii and Eleotris vittata). Higher catches were made in the dry season than in the wet season for most of the gear types employed in both the creek and the main river channel. A comparison between the creek and the main channel fish (using Sorenson's index; 0.34) suggests that the creek assemblage is separate from that of the main river channel.