Association Between Parasitic Infection and Fish Habitat

Abstract

With the research objective being to relate parasitic infection to fish habitat and guided by the research question: Is there any relationship between fish habitat and parasitic infection? a total of 446 fish samples- 300 Clarias gariepinus and 146 Oreochromis niloticus, 184 from natural systems and 262 from culture systems, were examined for parasitic infections. Out of this number, 68 were fingerlings, 62 were juveniles, and 316 were adults. Adopting a strictly parasitological methodology, and applying apposite statistical testing, findings were that fish in natural sytems are more susceptible to parasitisation than those from culture systems. In comparative terms, samples from the natural water body recorded higher infection (74.5%) than
those from culture system (31.7%).

Keywords: Parasites, habitat, infection, natural and cultural system