Abstract :
This study was carried out to determine the fish fauna composition, abundance and
distribution of Forcados river estuary. The monthly fish samples were collected for 24 months
between April, 2016 and March, 2018, by using dragnet of stretched mesh sizes 6 mm, 15 mm and 25
mm, gill net and hand net through the services of motorised local artisanal fishers. A total of twelve
thousand seven hundred and eighty fishes belonging to 18 families, 27 genera and 34 species were
collected. Artisanal fishers should be educated on the importance of sustainable fishing practice to
encourage the conservation of fishes in the estuary.
Keyword :
Clupeidae, Ethmalosa fimbriata, Forcados River estuary, Mugilidae.