Assessment of Catfish Effluents Management in Lagos State, Nigeria

Catfish is one of the major sources of dietary protein in Nigeria. Lagos State is one of culturing areas with abundant fresh water and marine environments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the catfish rearing industry and its effluents management and make appropriate recommendations. Forty fish farms were randomly selected in Lagos State for the study. Questionnaire and in-depth interview were used for data collection on water sources, equipment operations, and waste management. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that over 80% of water for fish rearing was from shallow wells and 95% of the waste water generated was not treated before disposal into the environment. Effluents disposals employed were open pit (12.5%), drainage canal (32.5%), bare-land (20.0%), stream (22.5%) and re-used on farm (12.5%) and these methods of disposal were not significantly different (p ≤ 0.05). Only a few farmers carried out simple treatment before disposal namely; infiltration (2.5%) and sedimentation (2.5%). If the effluent management conditions were not improved, it could pose a threat to the environment in the study areas. Pond effluent must be treated before being disposed into the environment and waste water from fish pond effluent should be reused as irrigation water.