1. A survey of eight local earthen hand-dug ponds located within the freshwater swamps of a Niger Delta area (southern Nigeria) was conducted over a period of 3 months. A total of 4,313 fishes representing 19 species from 12 families were recorded. 2. The most abundant species was Xenomystus nigri (905 individuals), whereas the least common was Protopterus annectens (13). Cichlidae and Clariidae counted three species each, whereas Anabantidae, Hepsetidae, Mochokidae, Protopteridae, Phractolaemidae, Malapteruridae and Gymnarchidae were represented by a single species each. 3. A lotic species, Synodontis sp., was recorded possibly as a result of the episodic flood of 2012. 4. The Engenni swamps harbour a moderately diverse ichthyofauna. Regulations should be put in place to further enhance the fisheries potential of these local ponds.

The Physical and chemical quality of natural water is essential for the life of aquatic organisms. This study was aimed at investigating the physical and chemical parameters of eight (8) local swamp ponds in the freshwater swamp of Engenni. Physical and chemical parameters of the freshwater swamp ponds were monitored over a period of three months (February-April 2019), During this period, Temperature (℃), Dissolved Oxygen (DO, mg/l), pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC:µs/cm), Total dissolved solids (TDS, mg/l), Salinity (‰), Turbidity (NTU)  and Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) were measured in situ. Temperature values did not vary significantly across stations. DO values ranged between 0.55 ± 0.01mg/l and 0.95 ± 0.02mg/l, which was consistently lower than the 5mg/l prescribed to sustain fish health.  pH values ranged from 6.17 ± 0.01 to 6.56 ± 0.01, indicating that the ponds were marginally acidic. Range values for EC (46.60 ± 0.10µs/cm to 156.57 ± 0.06µs/cm) and TDS (30.13 ± 0.12mg/l to 104.07mg/l ± 0.12mg/l) followed the same pattern as they were both highest and lowest in stations V and VII respectively. Salinity values of 0.02 ± 0.01‰ to 0.06 ± 0.0‰ across all stations was indicative of a typical freshwater environment. Turbidity was highest at station VIII. The result obtained from this research suggests that these swamp ponds are capable of sustaining life in the aquatic ecosystem, but only fish species that are low oxygen tolerant may survive in them.