Length-Weight Relationships and Condition Factors of Twenty-One Fish Species in Ologe Lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria

This study describes the length-weight relationships (LWR) and condition factors of 21 fish species from 15 families of ecological and economic importance, found in Ologe Lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria. A total of 1353 specimens were caught by local fishing gears from January, 2007 to December, 2007. The slope (b) values obtained for the 21 fish species ranged from 2.012 to 2.991, and diferred significantly (p<0.005) from 3, which indicates that most of the fish species have negative allometric growth. Liza falcipinnis was the only species with isometric growth (b = 2.99). The condition factors (K) of the fish species ranged from 0.12 in Polydactylus quadrifilis to 16.29 in Eutropius niloticus and about 86% of these condition fac tors fall outside the range recommended as suitable for matured fresh water species in the tropics. This indicates that Ologe Lagoon may be unfavourable to fishes in the lagoon. 5 new records (Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis , Eutropius niloticus, Bathygobius soporator, Trachinotus goreensis, Uranoscopus cadenati) of length-weight relationships, which were not in FishBase was also reported.