Effects of Fish Cage Culture on Water and Sediment Quality in the Gorge Area of Lake Volta in Ghana: A Case Study of Lee Fish Cage Farm

Abstract

<jats:p>The study determined the impacts of fish cage farming on the gorge area of Lake Volta. Water and sediment samples were collected from six sites in the Lee Cage Farm; four from sections with cages and two from about 1300 m upstream of the farm which served as the control. Water quality variables monitored were pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrate-nitrogen, ammonia-nitrogen, orthophosphate, faecal coliforms and total coliforms. Variables monitored in the sediment were organic matter, total carbon, total nitrogen and total phosphorus. There were variations in water quality between the farmed and control sites but the differences were not significant (p &gt; 0.05). The mean counts of total coliform in the water ranged from 940 - 3318 cfu/100 ml while faecal coliforms ranged from 113 - 552 cfu/100 ml at the farmed site. The mean total coliform count at the control site ranged from 837 - 6960 cfu/100 ml while the faecal coliforms ranged from 48 - 120 cfu/100 ml. Therefore, there was significant variation between the faecal coliforms count at the two sites (p = 0.046). The results suggest that the general microbiological quality of the water at the study area was unacceptable.</jats:p>

Mapping and Assessment of the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Turbidity in Lake Buhi From Sentinel-2 Images Using Geographically Weighted Regression and Normalized Difference Turbidity Index

“…We did not observe any particular pattern of turbidity distribution in these areas. A similar observation was shown in the study of Osei et al (2019) where there was no significant difference between the turbidity in areas with or without fish cages. This led us to conclude that the effect of fish cages and sanctuaries on the turbidity in the lake may be insignificant.…”

Environmental impacts of tilapia fish cage aquaculture on water physico-chemical parameters of Lake Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…The water quality status of various African lakes has been sufficiently studied, with most studies showing that these waters are increasingly organically polluted over the years (Helmer and Hespanhol, 1997;Odada et al, 2003;Branchu et al, 2005;UNEP, 2010;Ouma et al, 2016;Britton et al, 2019). Among other causes of this pollution, floating cages have been mentioned mainly in Lakes Volta (Clottey et al, 2016;Osei et al, 2019), Victoria (Nyakeya et al, 2022) and Kariba (Mhlanga et al, 2014). Lake Kivu's ecological functioning and services are gradually declining, and it has received less attention in terms of anthropogenic disturbance documentation (Muvundja et al, 2009;Lina, 2016).…”

Isolation and Characterization of Aeromonas jandaei from Nile Tilapia in Lake Volta, Ghana, and Its Response to Antibiotics and Herbal Extracts

“…2018; Osei et al. 2019). Fish production has shown tremendous growth; however, the production of tilapia has been faced with many obstacles that have contributed to massive economic losses worldwide (Dong et al.…”

“…Management of A. jandaei GH-AS II by using herbal extracts at Nile Tilapia farms in Lake Volta may be recommended since the use of antibiotics, such as tetracycline and ampicillin, may not yield the needed result.The Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus is a widely cultured species (Assane et al 2022). In Ghana, it is widely consumed and its culture in cages is widespread, especially on Lake Volta (Amenyogbe et al 2018;Osei et al 2019). Fish production has shown tremendous growth; however, the production of tilapia has been faced with many obstacles that have contributed to massive economic losses worldwide (Dong et al 2017;Abarike et al 2018;Assane et al 2022).…”