THE ETHIOPE RIVER, A VALUABLE SOURCE OF EDIBLE AQUATIC SPECIES IN THE NIGER-DELTA.

Fishermen Canoes on the banks of the Ethiope river. what3words location
https://w3w.co/spires.conveniently.closings
Camera Type: Tecno Pop 2.

The ETHIOPE river is one of several major rivers in the Niger-Delta region and an important one in Nigeria. At about 50km in length, it flows through four major towns(Local Government Areas) in the southern state of Delta in the Niger-Delta. It is an important river for being a good route for water transportation between four major towns and several smaller communities and also because of it's rich biodiversity of commercially important edible aquatic species.

The Ethiope river is a vital store of aquacultural resources for the local folks mostly the artisanal fisherfolks who live in close proximity to it's banks. The major economic preoccupation of such folks is fishing. They get their main source of animal proteins from the river and also, economically important species are hauled in which they trade to market fish sellers for money.

Edible species caught here include fresh water fishes like the catfish, tilapia, snakehead, eels, carp and crustaceans mostly crabs, prawns and the crayfish. Reptiles are also netted here too mostly the West African dwarf crocodile.
A fisherwoman with her canoe full of fishes on the banks of the Ethiope river. what3words location
https://w3w.co/spires.conveniently.closings
Camera Type: Tecno Pop 2.

The above picture I took at the bank of the Ethiope river depicts a commonly seen scenario in fishing communities there, where dozens of fisherfolks paddle down to the banks after a busy day catching fishes with canoes full of diverse species of edible aquatic species.

The Ethiope river is unarguably a main source of sustenance for most who make home on it's banks. Such fishes caught here are sold fresh at the local and main markets while still good quantity are smoked dry to preserve. Such would later be transported far inland, sometimes as far as thousands of kilometers from the Ethiope river in the southern part of Nigeria to the farther dryer northern parts of the country.

Thanks for your time reading, I do hope you enjoyed reading this article on the relevance of the Ethiope river to the dwellers of the NIGER-DELTA as a major source of edible aquatic species. Bye for now, stay safe as I wish you all a Happy Sunday.

CC @belenguerra
CC @bright-obias

NOTE
THIS ARTICLE WILL BE SHARED ON TWITTER.