GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to investigate the food and feeding habits of Ethmalosa fimbriata in Cross River estuary using standard methods. A total of 301 specimens were examined, 69 (22.92%) were small sized group (SSG) while 232 (77.07%) were large sized group (LSG). The length of the fish ranged between 5.2 – 6.7mm and 7.1 – 9.8mm in SSG and LSG respectively. The weight varied between 0.9 to 2.9g and 3.0 to 8.9g for SSG and LSG respectively. The fish feed mainly on algae, mud and sand, but detritus and zooplankton were considered incidental items. Feeding intensity was lesser in male than female. Thus, Small sized E. fimbriata feed more actively and feeding intensity decreased with increased size.

KEYWORDS: Ethmalosa fimbriata, food and feeding habit, Cross River estuary and Nigeria