Marsh Bulletin

Bufotes viridis (laurenti, 1768) specimens were recorded at Safwan at the southwest Basrah province, Iraq. Safwan is a desert village depending on underground water for irrigation. Specimens were collected monthly for the period from November 2017 to October 2018 by a hand net. A total of 29 specimens were collected for seven months (October – April). The highest number of recorded individuals was ten in November. The species was recorded within a range of air temperatures between 22°C in April and 34°C in November. Water temperature also limits its occurrence to a range of 12⁰C in March and 21.3⁰C in November. Salinity ranged between 9.01 and 9.5ppt and pH between 6.82 and 7.49.

Samples of fishes (116 species) were collected during April 2015 to Jun 2016 from
East Hammar marsh and Khor Abdullah to detect morphological deformities. Nine
types of deformities were recorded belongs to three main types of deformities (Vertebral
deformity, Fins deformity and malformed mouth). Higher level of deformities were
recorded in Carassius gibelio (7 type), Tenualosa ilisha (3 type), Pampus argenteus (3
type) and Planiliza abu (2 type)while in Carasobarbus luteus, Alburnus mossulensis,
Acanthobra mamarmid, Planiliza subviridis and Acanthopagrus arabicus were one type
for each species. All types of deformities were described and supported by photos.
Malformed Mouth recorded in seven species of fish as first time in Iraq. Tail loss and
partial or total loss of dorsal Fin recorded in fresh water and marine water fishes (C.
gibelio and P. argenatus) as first time in Iraq. Split fine and Anal Fin Deformity
considered as the first cases in Iraq in C. luteus and C. gibelio consequently. Undulation
of caudal fin was recorded in two species, one of these from fresh water (C. gibelio) and
anther from marine water (P. argenteus), the recording of this case in this species is
considered as first in Iraq while skeletal anomalies recorded as the first case in C.
gibelio in Iraq. By This study, we try to focus on the relationship between
environmental change and some indicators like deformities, which possible give us
imaginations about effects of this change on fish health.

Current study was conducted in three locations, the first was floating fish cages, the second was fish
earthen pond and the third was Shatt Al-Arab River north Basra Governorate at Hartha District. A total
number of 266 fresh redbelly tilapia (Coptodon zillii) fishes were collected from the locations using
different nets i.e. hand net in the first location and cast net in the second and third locations. The fishes
transported to the laboratory of Aquaculture Unit in boxes with crushed ice. Samples were taken from
1/4/2017 to 1/10/2017. Water temperature during sampling period ranged between 17 to 31 °C and
salinity between 1.1 to 3.2 ppt. The number of examined fish was 97, 92 and 77 from cages, pond and
wild fish respectively. The mean fish total length varied between (16.60, 14.19 and 12.78) cm and weight
varied between (109.42, 60.05 and 49.12) g for cages, pond and wild fish respectively. No fish recorded
less than 5 cm or more than 25 cm. The values of the exponent 'b' in the length–weight relationship
varied between 3.1655, 2.9596 and 2.9978 for cages, pond and wild fish respectively. In this study, C.
zillii showed to undergo positive allometric growth (b> 3) in cages but the pond and wild fish exhibited
negative allometric pattern of growth (b< 3). Modified condition factor values ranged between 1.34 to
2.04 for cage and wild fish respectively, relative condition factor values were 1.00, 1.00 and 1.01 for
cage, wild and pond fish respectively, while Fulton’s condition factor values ranged between 1.76 to
2.13 for pond and cage fish respectively. The statistical analysis showed that there were significant
differences (P<0.01) in "K" values between the three locations considering modified and Fulton’s
condition factors, while no such significant differences (P>0.01) found in relative condition factor.