DEVELOPMENT AND DETERMINATION OF CATCH EFFICIENCY OF A DRUM FISHING TRAP AT RIVER BENDU, KEBBI STATE, NIGERIA

This study aimed to develop and evaluate the catch efficiency of the drum fishing trap in the
Bendu River, situated in Dakingari region of Suru Local Government Area, Kebbi State. The
gear was constructed using a normal metal drum with dimensions (height 895mm, diameter
585mm) and it was baited with groundnut cake. It was set at the littoral zone of the river around
7:00am in the morning and hauled after every two days around 7:00am in the morning to uphold
a soaking time of 48 hours for four weeks. The fish species caught were sorted and counted
based on the number of catch and subsequently were separated according to their respective
families and species using fish identification keys. The data collected was subjected to
descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results shows that a total number
of 146 fishes were caught from 5 families and 9 species with Oreochromis niloticus having the
highest number (52) and Synodontis sorex the least number (5) with significance difference
(p˃0.05). The study indicated that river Bendu provides a diverse range of fish species for local
fishermen, and the utilization of drums as fishing gear is advised for the capture of these species.