Fishmeal is a vital component used in animal feed formulations. The present status of fisheries industry in Nigeria is mainly artisanal. The artisanal sector contributes over 90% of the total landing while the industrial sector contributes less than 10%. The artisanal sector is thus a potentially huge source of fish meal. Possible source of raw materials for fish meal production at cottage level includes artisanal seasonal glut and waste from the consumption industry. These two sources cannot sustain the setting up of fish meal plant on a large scale. A method to produce fish meal from artisanal fishing activities and waste from canning industry was investigated using simple processes of cooking, pressing and drying. The fish meal produced by direct sun-drying and using solar dryer compares well with meal produced by the conventional wet process method. The meal is made from the waste of herring canning industry. Qualitative comparison was made of meal produced using conventional fish meal plant and the proposed cottage level method.

Forty-eight bottom sediments samples collected from the Bonny estuary were analyzed for textural Characteristics and organic carbon content. The dominant lithologies are sand, sandy mud, mud, sandy clay and clay. Pattern of sediment distribution consists of mud, sandy mud and clay in the swallow marginal areas of the river channel and creeks, while the channel centers are predominantly fine to coarse sand with graphic mean size ranging from 0.74 to 2.71Ø. Inclusive standard deviation values ranged from 0.35 to 1.64Ø suggesting the poorly to very well sorted nature of these sediments. Skewness varied from fine skewed to strong coarse skewed with 52% of the samples negatively skewed. Graphic kurtosis ranged from 0.92 to1.95 [mesokurtic to very leptokurtic]. The organic matter content [OM] of the sediment is closely associated with silt/clay content and graphic mean size [Mz]. The muddy sediments [Mz: 3.25-4.50Ø] commonly found in the shallow marginal areas of the river channel contain very high levels of OM [12.0-27.4%]. The sandy sediments [Mz: 0.25-2.25Ø] in the channels contained lower levels of OM [0.4 – 11.0%].

At the request of the United States of America Centre for Marine Conservation, the Nigeria Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research organised a beach clean up at the Bar Beach Lagos on September 24 1994. An International beach clean up is usually held on the last Saturday of every September during the COASTWEEK. On this day, volunteers all over the world participate in a beach clean up in an effort to collect data and information on the types and amounts of debri littering the world's beaches. Volunteers for the Bar Beach clean up of 1994 were drawn from all works of life and some Federal and States agencies. A total of 10,872 pieces of different kinds of debri weighing 531.1kg were collected during the clean up. Further analysis of the different debri showed that plastics constituted 37% of the debris collected on the Beach. Other items included paper, which amounted to 16%, metal 3%, foamed plastics, which amounted to 10%, rubber which, amounted to 7%, wooden pieces which amounted to 7%, broken glass which amounted to 7%, and cloth pieces which amounted to 3% of the total debris collected. In all, the data showed that the Bar Beach, which is the most popular tourist beach in Nigeria, is very dirty. The result of this exercise could be useful in the formulation of an effective beach and even coastal zone management policy.

In the recent past, climatic changes and variations have occurred in Nigeria with resulting adverse socio-economic impact. From these experiences, it is inferred that the expected change in global climate will have far reaching disastrous consequences for Nigeria if appropriate anticipatory technical and policy Measure are not taken. More recent results from various models based on an eventual warming from a doubling of greenhouse gases of between 1.5 and 5oC by the end of the 21st century predict an acceleration of the eustatic rise in sea level from 1.2-1.5mm/yr. over the last hundred year s to 4 – 6mm/yr. although previous estimates were much higher [e.g.56–3.68m by the end of the 21 century] on the low lying Coastal zone of Nigeria, which is rich in natural resources and has amenities of high economic values, any global rise in sea level will be accentuated by subsidence phenomenon, both natural and man induced. This will, among other effects, result in the inundation and loss of productive wetlands, exacerbation of erosion and flooding problems, increased salinity intrusion into coastal rivers and groundwater aquifers, accelerated alteration of fragile ecosystems, greater influx of diverse pollutants e.t.c. Settlements will be uprooted, exploitation of natural resources including petroleum which accounts for greater than 90 percent of the country\s export and foreign exchange earnings as well as the rich fishery and staple crops, will be disrupted, communications infrastructure will be dislodged, businesses and industries [including the fledgling tourism] will be dislocated, and generally the level of human hardship and misery [e.g. due to pollution effects] will be high. Possible response measures to the expected impacts would vary according to the level of urbanization and economic investments in place and would necessarily be site specific. Shore stabilization, preferably employing low cost, low technology or soft engineering measures e.g. sand replenishment, is deemed imperative in heavily built up or industrialized areas with enormous capital values but outside of such areas, the best approach is to allow the sea to come in while applying technical and policy measures to mitigate the impacts. Strategies for increasing resilience to the impacts of higher sea Levels include relocation, improved land use [particularly to stop haphazard urbanizations and enforce set-back lines], efficient water management, adaptive agro – technology, provision of monitoring and early Warning system, public enlightenment campaigns, institution of disaster relief measures, etc. It seems self evident that the rational application of science and technology holds the key to the evolution of the most appropriate response measures. Beyond packaging effective anticipatory measures to tackle the expected impacts of the impending accelerated rise in sea level, additional problems associated with the management of Nigeria’s coastal zone call for the institutionalization of the enforceable coastal zone Management policy [and the concomitant authority] for a sustainable development of Nigeria’s coastal zone.

Polyculture trial of selected cultivable fin fishes was conducted at the Institute’s experimental fish farm Ikoyi, Lagos from April 1983 to January 1984. The species, Mugil spp; Tilapia spp; Hemichromis fasciatus and Elops lacerta gave a total annual production range of 1219 kg to 1441 kg per hectare (extrapolated). Tilapia species had the highest growth potential constituting 80% of the total harvest. Supplementary diet used was food left over (waste) from selected big hotels in Lagos. Elops lacerta (predator) recorded the highest average body weight of 415.88g while the lowest weight 62.14g, was recorded for Mugil spp. Tilapia spp and Hemichromis fasciatus had average body weights of 72.5g and 6.7 0g respectively.

A preliminary investigation was conducted with freshly caught West African long croaker (Pseudotolithus typus). Half of the fish stored at ambient temperature (28 - 32oC) for 5, 12, 13, 24 and 36 hours were gutted. These conditions enable a high rate of fish deterioration and spoilage; thus facilitating the elaboration of characteristics which would subsequently be used to establish some sensory guidelines for fish quality evaluation in Nigeria. Several sensory deteriorative changes were observed whose application for sensory assessment may be time consuming and confusing to Fish Quality Inspectors. Hence, it is concluded from this study that the most important sensory quality indices which can be used as guidelines for the Nigerian Fishing Industry and quality inspectors are appearance, texture and brightness of flesh and skin, the colour and odour of gills; the colour of the eye and the border of eye; and the colour of the slime produced.

This paper discusses the sample the sample design and estimation method for sampling the commercial catches of fishing trawlers. The result of the application of the design to Nigerian Fishing Trawlers in 1981 is presented. The conclusion that Nigerian Trawlers and not catching undersized fish as at 1981 is valid only on the assumption that there is no dumping of undersized fish at sea.

Chemical composition of Clarias gariepinus collected from the wild was investigated. The moisture level ranged from 72.2% to 75.7% while the crude protein level was 18.9% to 19.7%.with the mean of 19.3%. The lipid content ranged from 1.04% to 1.32% (wet weight) while ash was 3.05% to 3.7%. The size of the fish did not significantly (p<0.05) affect the proximate composition. The amino acid pattern of different sizes of C. gariepins were similar with lysine level of 7.5 to 8.0g/16gN,and methionine level of 1.56 to 3.08g/16gN. PUFA of C. gariepinus ranged from 6.5to 7.8%.

The continental shelf east and west of Lagos [long.2o.04.00E to long.4o 00’.00”E] is narrow shelf ranging in width between 25 to 30 kilometers. Echograms from several NIOMR’s cruises reveal the presence of some isolated and in some cases continuous bands of dead Holocene coral banks, within the middle to outer continental shelf [40-120m depth]. The most prominent of these structures are ones occurring between 75-100m of water and running almost parallel to the coastline. The dead coral structures are non-reef forms. They are found either as continuous Bands of rough bottom with width ranging between, 100 to 3,500m or in isolated pinnacled shapes. The pinnacled forms reach heights of over 7 meters in some cases. These coral structures pose obstructions to trawling within this part of the continental shelf which has been documented as fishing ground for fish species including Squatina oculata, Ariomma bondi, and Dentex angoleensis. Reports from fishing expeditions have shown that many expensive fishing nets have been torn and destroyed by these coralline structures during trawling exercise. There is urgent need therefore to map these obstructions in other to minimize the loss of trawl nets and maximize the exploitation of the fisheries resources within this part of the shelf. The continental shelf east and west of Lagos [long.2o.04.00E to long.4o 00’.00”E] is narrow shelf ranging in width between 25 to 30 kilometers. Echograms from several NIOMR’s cruises reveal the presence of some isolated and in some cases continuous bands of dead Holocene coral banks, within the middle to outer continental shelf [40-120m depth]. The most prominent of these structures are ones occurring between 75-100m of water and running almost parallel to the coastline. The dead coral structures are non-reef forms. They are found either as continuous Bands of rough bottom with width ranging between, 100 to 3,500m or in isolated pinnacled shapes. The pinnacled forms reach heights of over 7 meters in some cases. These coral structures pose obstructions to trawling within this part of the continental shelf which has been documented as fishing ground for fish species including Squatina oculata, Ariomma bondi, and Dentex angoleensis. Reports from fishing expeditions have shown that many expensive fishing nets have been torn and destroyed by these coralline structures during trawling exercise. There is urgent need therefore to map these obstructions in other to minimize the loss of trawl nets and maximize the exploitation of the fisheries resources within this part of the shelf.