Assessment of Proximate Profile of Selected Fin and Shell Fish and Physicochemical Assessment of Water from Named Rivers in Ogoniland

Aims: This study investigated the physicochemical assessment of Rivers Kaa and Bodo in Ogoniland, as well as the proximate profile of selected fin and shell fish from these Rivers.

Study Design: Random sampling.

Place and Duration of Study: Kaa and Bodo communities of Ogoniland, between August and November 2014.

Methodology: The physicochemical analysis; pH, temperature (T), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), conductivity (C), salinity (S) and total hydrocarbon content (THC), were done. The results were compared to FEPA and APHA permissible limits. Proximate composition was determined using Association of Official Analytical Chemist standard analytical methods.

Results: Physicochemical analysis results showed that T (26.5±.010), (26.8±.006) and TSS (8.68±.006), (12.5±.006) for Kaa were lower than Bodo (sp≤0.05), S (7.20±.021), (8.40±.010) and THC (0.25±.015), (3.00±.040) were both lower for Kaa than Bodo, at (p≤0.05), BOD was higher for samples collected from Bodo than samples collected from Kaa (188±.234), (259±.690). The TDS and Conductivity were both higher for samples from Bodo than those from Kaa, while pH and DO were higher for samples collected from Kaa than samples collected from Bodo. The moisture content for all samples collected from Kaa (63.7±.289), (72.5±.488), (75.1±.973), (67.4±.455), were significantly lower at p≤0.05 than the moisture content for samples from Bodo (68.7±.514), (80.6±.476), (86.2±.790), (74.5±.514) indicating that the samples from Kaa are better sources of protein, lipid, and energy than samples from Bodo. The protein, lipid, crude fibre, ash and dry matter content of all samples from Kaa were significantly higher (p≤0.05) than those for samples from Bodo.

Conclusion: These findings suggest a contamination of the study sites particularly Bodo with petroleum products. Furthermore, it shows that the protein contents in all samples from Bodo were below the recommended standards, suggesting that the consumption of fishes from the study area particularly Bodo, is unhealthy.