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Caspian Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 1(11), pp. 58-64, 2012 Available online at http://www.cjasr.

com ISSN: 2251-9114, 2012 CJASR

Feed Intensity of Characidae Fish in the Jebel Aulia Reservoir in Sudan


Fathi Mirghani Yousif1, Asma Abdel Rahman Ahmed2
1

Ministry of animal resources and fisheries, administration of General fisheries and aquatic resources, Natural fisheries department, Khartoum, Sudan 2Faculty of science, University of Al-Neelain, Khartoum, Sudan *Corresponding Author: Email: Monday201282@yahoo.com

This study was conducted from November 2007 to October 2008 into the two main fishing sites in Jebel Aulia Reservoir; this was Jebel Aulia site (45kms) south Khartoum city) and Kosti site about 355 km southward Khartoum city. The study focuses in family Characidae that has two geniuses Hydrocynus (H. forskalii, H. lineatus and H. brevis) and Alestes (A. baremose, A.dentix and A. nurse). Water characteristics investigated including temperature, concentration of dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, transparency, pH, compositions and abundance of Phytoplankton. However, there is an un-normal decline of phytoplankton and zooplankton production at the vicinity of the dam indicating a prospected hazard. The study covered the biological parameter of characid fishs feeding and maturity. In two sites Jebel Aulia and Kosti Sites fishs showed maximal of incidence of full stomachs at the end of the rainy season exactly in August 2008 and the other peak was recorded during the high abundance of planktonic organism in March 2008. Key words: food, feeding characid.

1. INTRODUCTION Three factors play an important role in plankton distribution, light, temperature and movement of water-masses (Prows and Talling, 1958). These in turn affect the food chain beside the other biological processes. Water temperature is an important factor, which affects growth, reproduction, maturity of fish and the food chain. Therefore, every individual fish species shows the best physiological performance at an optimum temperature. Furthermore, the temperature effects on the amount of dissolved oxygen and consequently the rate of respiration of fish Bishai (1962). Reported that the normal temperature to which a fish is adapted in temperate regions is between 0-30C. Value above 30C occurs in shallow water in summer FAO (1989). Minimum temperatures prevail during in autumn and winter. Oxygen concentrations and transparency are the major factors limiting phytoplankton abundance and distribution in water Ahmed (1989). It was reported that the water transparency at Al-Kalakla and Um Shabasha showed maximum records during Dec and Feb, but it decreased in a horizontal gradient towards the dam due to the distribution of the suspended materials such as planktons and detritus and seasonally during flood season (9-13 cm) due to the sediment and accumulation of the water hyacinth. Recording that turbidity was higher in December and September, and was lower in Mar and June (Manteifel1961).

The dissolved oxygen concentration for most fresh water fish is above 7.0 p.p.m at any time FAO (1982).It is fetal at high temperature. Dissolved Oxygen concentration at Jebel Aulia reservoir was above saturation all the year round. The highest concentration was recorded in December and lowest in August. The mean oxygen concentration in the Jebel Aulia reservoir is beyond the demand of fish and other aquatic organisms. Water with pH value ranging about 6.5 to 9 at day break this is most suitable for fish production. In Jebel Aulia reservoir range of pH was 7.4 to 8.6. The high values were recorded during flood season. The importance of pH it is roles in ionizing chemical compound to produce free ions for the readily use of phytoplankton. Composition and seasonal fluctuation of phytoplankton and zooplankton exhibited the maximum levels in March during the season of low water discharge Bashier (2007). The average zooplankton biomass throughout the whole reservoir was 0.192 g/m2 in April with greater value found near the dam ((Russian Research Expedition, (1964) and Adam (1977). reported two annual peaks of plankton growth and a decline in Jebel Aulia reservoir. One of beak growth occurs just before flood season and the second occurs during winter (Nov. January). The food supply is thus governed by the condition for obtaining and utilizing the food Manteifel (1961) its also dependent on a biotic condition during the feeding period such as temperature, illumination, wind, fluctuation in

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Yousif and Ahmed Feed Intensity of Characidae Fish in the Jebel Aulia Reservoir in Sudan

water level, and changes in size of feeding area. The supply is also influenced considerably the protection from predators during the feeding period. The purpose of conducting this study, were to determine fish food and feeding intensity of Characids fish in Jebel Aulia Reservoir Dam. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS Samples of water were collected at monthly from November 2007 to October 2008 using fishing nets and collecting fishing from the landing sites, interval from the open water at the Jebel Aulia site and at the season intervals at Kosti site. At the same time measurement of dissolved oxygen, ionic conductivity, pH and degrees of water temperature were recorded from the field. Dissolved oxygen (ppm) was measured by Winklers method. Temperature recorded by a thermometer, the pH meter and ionic conductivity meter was measured by Hannas instrument. Water transparency was measured with standard Secchi-disc. Phyto and zooplankton were collected by standard plankton nets that were hauled for a minute. volume of water hauled was estimated from the hauling distance and the dimension of the net (net ring diameter and the height of the net cone).The plankton collected was rinsed in sampling bottles and preserved in 4.0% formalin. Planktonic organisms were examined under a light microscope (x 40 or x 100) and the number of organism per ml of the collected sample was counted and the number of organism per liter of water was computed using the volume of the water sieved during the haul of the plankton net. Family Characidae classification was done by the following the keys: Abu Gideri (1984), Boluenger (1907) and Latif (1973), the genus Hydrocynus (Cuv1817) include predator fish belonging to three species H. forskalii. (Cuv1817), H. lineatus (Blkr), H. brevis (Gthr).The genus Alestes (M. and T, 1844) whose members are non pisciviorous comprised three species, A. baremose (Joann), A. dentex (L), A. nurse (Riip) of these species A. baremose. Of these species A. baremose was the most common. Rate of digestion had been measured by the rate of disappearance of gut content i.e. the transparency of the gut fullness methods.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1. Results 3.1.1. A biotic result: Degrees of water temperatures recorded during the study duration the reservoir of Jebel Aulia dam and Kosti were as follows: In Jebel Aulia dam, the highest degree temperature was 31C recorded by the end of flooding season in October 2008, while the lowest degree was 21C during winter in February 2008. In Kosti, the highest temperature was 29 C in summer season in May 2008, while the lowest one was 23 C recorded in winter season in March 2008. In Jebel Aulia dam, high transparency values (67.3) were recorded in March 2008, while the lowest value (11.4cm) was recorded during the flooding season in July. A high transparency value was recorded during the end of winter season in March 2008. Low one was recorded during commence of flooding season in May 2008. In Jebel Aulia dam, with a minimum value of electric conductivity during the flooding season in July2008 (185 mho); whereas, the highest one (308mho) was observed during months of summer in May 2008. In Kosti, with minimum value at commence of March (165mho). The highest was also observed during commence of summer season in March (243mho). In Jebel Aulia Site, high value was recoded in November 2007(8.5) but low reading was recorded in September 2008(6.22).In Kosti Site, high value (8.3) was recorded in mid-autumn in October 2008, while in mid-winter in March 2008 reading had the lowest value (6.5). Jebel Aulia Site dissolved oxygen recorded in April 2008 water highly saturated with dissolved oxygen, while in May 2008 had been lowest dissolved oxygen concentration. In Kosti, water the highest saturation with dissolved oxygen was recorded in October 2008, where, as March 2008 showed the lowest value of dissolved oxygen in water. In Jebel Aulia dam, the annual maximum abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton were recoded during the end of the autumn in March 2008, while the lowest levels were during the flooding season in July 2008. In Kosti, the annual maxima were recoded during the start of the summer season in March 2008, while; the lowest level were recoded during the start of flooding season in July 2008.

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Caspian Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 1(11), pp. 58-64, 2012

Table 1: The average of water characteristic in Jebel Aulia Dam during 2007/2008 Month Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Water characteristic 2007 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 Transparency (cm) Temperature (C) Conductivity (mho) Dissolved oxygen(ppm) pH Phytoplankton abundance (No. /ml)) Zooplankton abundance (No./ ml ) 18.8 26 201 6.07 8.7 2.15 1.54 32.2 24 240 6.9 8.1 2.96 1.98 35.8 23 252 6.3 6.7 3.45 2.44 22.4 21 234 6.97 7.7 2.53 2.01 67.3 26 265 7.13 8.5 6.61 3.7 47.9 24 296 7.93 7.8 4.29 3.22 14.8 27 308 6.13 8.5 1.88 1.37 13.3 28 221 7.6 6.5 1.36 0.96 11.4 30 185 7.7 6.26 1.07 0.8 12.5 29 221 7.6 7.6 1.36 0.86 13.2 29 197 7.9 6.22 1.42 0.89 17.9 31 199 7.3 6.51 1.95 1.01

Table 2: The average of water characteristic in Kosti area during 2007 / 2008 season Water characteristic Winter Summer Autumn

Transparency(cm) Temperature (C) Conductivity (mho/cm) Dissolved oxygen(p.p.m) pH Phytoplankton abundance (No.ml)) Zooplankton abundance (No./ ml )

71.2 23 243 6.5 8.3 6.99 4.01

17.4 29 199 6.83 7.5 5.13 2.74

26.1 27 166 8.2 7.5 3.98 2.35

3.1.2. Fish food and feeding intensity The fish food in the stomach of family Characids was determined at both sites Jebel Aulia dam and Kosti, fishes showed full stomachs at the different times through out the study period. The maximal index of stomach fullness was at the end of the rainy season exactly in August 2008. The other peak of incidence of the full stomach was recorded during the high abundance of planktonic organism in May 2008.Results of both sides indicate the seasonality of availability of food. Rainy season coincides with the breeding season of most Nile

fishes when there is a plenty of fry and fingerlings, the main food for genus Hydrocynus and the aquatic insect larva and grains of aquatic weed for genus Alestes coincide of the full stomach were higher for Alestess species in almost all the seasons specially summer, fish with empty stomach were high for Hydrocynuss species. Full stomachs were in summer then winter and least in autumn. Explanation of high incidence of the full stomach in May, it may be explained by the low water level and more possibilities of successfully praying for both fish and other aquatic organelle.

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Yousif and Ahmed Feed Intensity of Characidae Fish in the Jebel Aulia Reservoir in Sudan

Table 3: Fish food and feeding intensity of Characidae fish in Jebel Aulia Dam from (2007/2008) H. forskalii H. lineatus H. brevis A. baremose A. dentex Characid Seasons F 1/2F E F 1/2F E F 1/2F E F 1/2F E F 1/2F E 19.9 35.5 45.6 17.1 28.6 54.3 29.5 32.3 38.2 52.4 34.3 13.3 69.8 19.4 10.8 Autumn 2008 22.9 21 56.1 8 10 82 26.5 26.5 47 37 23.6 39.3 21.3 26.7 48 Summer 2008 6.6 22.7 70.7 8.7 22.3 69 38.6 5.8 55.6 36.5 30.1 25.4 20 20 40 Winter 2008 Keys: F= Full stomach content, 1/2 F = Half stomach content, E=Empty stomach content.

A. nurse F 1/2F 76.5 12.9 59.2 15.5 45.9 27

E 10.6 25.3 27

Table 4: Fish food and feeding intensity of Characidae fish in Kosti during 2007/2008 H. forskalii H. lineatus H. brevis A. baremose A. dentex Characid Seasons F 1/2F E F 1/2F E F 1/2F E F 1/2F E F 1/2F E 28.5 14.3 57.1 9 0 90 27.3 0 72.7 57.9 21.1 10.5 77.8 18.5 3.7 Autumn 2008 22.2 22.2 55.6 36.8 15.8 47.4 58.3 0 41.7 81.4 11.6 7 83.8 16.2 0 Summer 2008 32.5 7.5 60 37.5 4.2 38.3 32.1 0 67.9 70.7 17.1 12.2 66.6 16.7 16.7 Winter 2008 Keys: F= Full stomach content, 1/2 F = Half stomach content, E=Empty stomach content.

A. nurse F 1/2F 70 26.7 94.1 2 64.3 33.7

E 3.3 3.9 0

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Caspian Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 1(11), pp. 58-64, 2012

Fig. 1: Fish food and feeding intensity of Characidae fish in Jebel Aulia Reservoir Dam from (2007/2008)

Fig. 2: Fish food and feeding intensity of Characidae fish in Kosti from (2007/2008) 3.2. Discussion Temperature degrees during winter were low and similar at all study stations; where water transparency was relatively not high and ranged between 17.4 cm and 67.3cm (Table 1). Decline of fish in winter were probably correlated with low temperatures and high transparency, presence of fish into deep waters and low fishing. The results of water temperatures and transparency during all the year of present study are in corresponding with those of Sinada (1972); Saeed (1976) and Ahmed (1989).

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Yousif and Ahmed Feed Intensity of Characidae Fish in the Jebel Aulia Reservoir in Sudan

The dissolved oxygen content of the water is the second factor to temperature as the biological significant factor in aquatic resources .Absence or two low level of water oxygen limit to distribution of plant and animal. The water of Jebel Aulia dam was normally over saturated with oxygen (6.07 to 7.93 p.p.m).The concentration of aquatic oxygen was observed to decrease during the flood season. However, no oxygen attention was recorded. These results are in harmony with findings of other researchers (Hamaza, 1981; Kawai, 1994). In Jebel Aulia dam reservoir the pH of water ranged between 6.22 to 8.7.The high values were probably a result of carbon oxide release that accompanied the annual outbreak of plankton production Abu Gideri (1962) and Prows AND Talling (1958). The observed seasonal fluctuations electric conductivity (winter: 240 12 mho;during flood:200.5 14.5 mho and summer:269.7 24.7 mho cm1) were most likely due to leaching of salt by flood water that over flow the river banks and wash from rain stream into the river. Plankton flourished and densely reproduced during the time of slow water flow in period from March to May 2008 and November to December 2008.These observations are in agreement with these of Hamaza (1981) and Ahmed (1989).Production was minimal due to flood and high water discharge (Rzoska and Brook, 1954) in addition to the effects of the biotic and a biotic factor. Although the previous result Adam (1977), record higher flourish of planktons (primary and secondary) at the vicinity of the dam in comparison to be downstream, the present recorded the reverse i.e. lowest densities. This indicates change in the habitat at the vicinity the dam is more likely to place either due to change in the regime of the dam operation or due to electro generating power plants instead to the dam. Feeding intensity governed by food availability which in related to environmental habitat parameter and other factors that were effective, cloud formation, decreased water discharge and hence high water levels. Fluctuations in the environmental conditions of this habitat clearly suggested that fish responded to environmental variables in the same general way as the rest of vertebrates and that their maturation and breeding activities are still primarily governed by light cycles. The percentage of full stomach was decline in the piscivorous fish i.e. Hydrocynus .The role of the vision in feeding has tested experimentally by previous studies Petts (1988) and FAO(1982) who

recorded threshold of light intensity is required for searching power for prey and the daily feeding period vary considerably with season. So high siltation and low transparency can be considered within the main factor .This can be considered within the main factor. This can be further influenced by the high water current that prevailed during this season with accompanied by the flood of White Nile. However, the ability to search for preys depend on the distance depends on the movement of the prey, its orientation and abundance in the specific area. 4. CONCLUSION Further studies in food and feeding intensity of Characidae fish in the Jebel Aulia Reservoir. REFERENCES Abu Gideri YB (1962). Aspect of the Biology of Synodontis spp.at Khartoum with Special Reference to Synodontis schall. M.Sc. Thesis .Department of zoology, University of Khartoum. Sudan Abu Gideri YB (1984). Fishes of Sudan. Khartoum University. Sudan . Press (166p). Adam AE (1977). Some studies on the productivity of Jebel Aulia Reservoir. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Science, University of Khartoum, Sudan. Ahmed AA (1989). On some environmental and physiological factors affecting growth and development of some viable Nile fishes Ph .D. thesis. Dep. of zoology, University of Khartoum. P (2). Ahmed AA (1985). Final report of the project of assessment of Jebel Aulia reservoir fisheries. Fisheries Research Cooperation. Khartoum 54 p. Bashier FA (2007). Biological Aspect of commercially important fish species an Ichthyomass of Jebel Aulia, Juba University. College of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies. Bishai HM (1962).Water Characteristics of the Nile of the Sudan with A note on the Effects of Eichhornia Crassipes (Salmon). Hydrobiologia, 19: 359-382. Boluenger GA (1907).The fisheries of Nile. Zoo. Of Egypt, vol. 2, Hugh Rees London, 578 P. FAO (1982). Status of fish stock and fisheries of thirteen medium sized African reservoir. Fisheries Department, 01/04/1441, p1:3

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FAO

(1989) .Introduction to tropical fish assessment part -1 Manual, Fisheries Technical paper. No. 306/1. Hamaza KM (1981). Studies on fish populations in Jebel Aulia Reservoir. M.Sc. thesis, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Khartoum, Sudan. Kawai MK (1994). On the fishing effort and fishing intensity in the northern part of Jebel Aulia reservoir. Thesis submitted in the partial fulfillment for the degree of M.Sc. Thesis. Institute of environmental studies (I.E.S) University of Khartoum. Latif A (1973).Fisheries of the lake Nasser. Book, Arab republic of Egypt press, Cairo, Egypt, 200 p. Manteifel BP (1961). Vertical migration of marine organism. Part II. Adaptive signifance of the vertical migration of plankton eating fish .Trudy Inst. Morfol. Zhivotn. Akad. Nauk. SSSR. Muso JE (2002).Studies on limnology and gill-net selectivity at Jelekag (White Nile). M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Khartoum, Sudan.

Petts GE (1988). Impounded River, Chichester, UK: John Wiley and Sons Ltd Publishers, 326p. Prows G, Talling JF (1958).The seasonal growth and succession of plankton algae in the White Nile, limno oceanogr .5: 322 -338p. Russian Research Expedition (1964).Study on the Fish Resources of the White Nile. Report, http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/AC672B/AC 672B05.htm. Rzoska J, Brook AJ (1954).seasonal plankton development in White and Blue Nile at Khartoum, Proc. Int. Cong. Limol. 12. 327334 p. Saeed MO (1976).Limnological and Cultural Investigation on the Phytoplankton of the White Nile. M. Sc. Thesis, Department of Botany, University of Khartoum, Sudan. Sandon H (1950).An illustration guide to the fresh water fishes on the Sudan. Sudan Notes and Rec. 25:61p. Sinada FA (1972).Ecological and productive studies on the phytoplankton of the Blue and the White Nile at Khartoum. M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Botany, University of Khartoum, Sudan.

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