Introduction
Fish is a high quality food, apart from its protein contents; it is also rich in vitamins and contains variable quantities of fat and minerals for human health (Bard et al., 1976). Fish is often recommended for cardio-vascular disease patients because of its unique fat, which is composed mainly of Omega- 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid.
Materials and Methods
The food and feeding habits of Tilapia mariae in Akomoje River reservoir, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, were examined between the months of August and December 2019. A total number of 125 fish specimens were collected on monthly basis from the commercial landings of fishermen around the water body.
Results
The results of monthly variation in food items show that Bacillariophyta , Chlorophyta , Cyanophyceae , crustacean, detritus, plant tissues, and unidentified food all occurred in varying quantities from August to December 2019. Bacillariophyta (diatoms) was the most important food item in the stomach of Tilapia mariae accounting for 14.72% and 78.10% by numerical and frequency of occurrence methods, respectively. Cyanophyceae constituted 11.43% in number and 59.63% in occurrence as the next food item in order of importance. Crustaceans occurred least in order of importance with 2.34% in numbers and 27.12% in frequency of occurrence.