The microbiological quality of raw and processed periwinkles obtained from brackish water earthen pond of the African Regional Aquaculture Centre, Buguma, Rivers State, Nigeria was studied. The samples were harvested at exactly 11 am on a Monday morning, at high tide and water temperature of about 29°C. Ninety samples were analyzed and used for the study, which comprised the enumeration of indicator organisms and other pathogens as well as their total counts. Total bacterial counts of the samples from boiled periwinkle meat, boiled shell-on periwinkles and raw periwinkle meat were <10, 2.32-2.41 x 10 6 , and 1.65-1.86 x 10 6cfu/g, respectively. The boiled shell-on periwinkle sample had the highest level of microbial growth. The result of these microbiological examinations of boiled shell-on, raw and boiled periwinkle meat (without shell) showed that the boiled shell-on and raw periwinkle meat contained unacceptable levels of bacteria with a mean total bacterial count of 2.37 x 10 6 and 1.77 x 10 6 cfu/g, respectively. On the contrary the processed (boiled) periwinkle meat contained a total plate count of <10 cfu/g. The organisms isolated from all the periwinkle samples included Salmonella paratyphi, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Aerobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Erwinia amylovora and Serratia maracescense. Indicator organisms especially Salmonella paratyphi and Aerobacter aerogenes seemed to be more common in the isolated samples with the highest number among the isolated bacteria especially in the boiled shell-on periwinkle and raw periwinkle meat. Some psychotropic organisms such as Erwinia amylovora and Serratia maracescense were also isolated although Serratia maracescence and Proteus vulgaris were the least encountered in all the samples analysed. The fungi isolated from raw periwinkle were Fusarium species and Sacharomyces cerevisiae with a fungi load of <10 cfu/g for both samples. There was no record of any fungal load in the boiled periwinkle meat. The isolation of indicator organisms as well as other pathogens from the boiled shell on periwinkles and raw periwinkle meat should be a source of concern to the consumers especially in South/South Nigeria where they are mostly cooked with the shell on, or inadequately cooked because of some perceived medical and nutritive values.

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ABSTRACT:The purpose of this paper is to create awareness on the significance of integrated fish farming in organic waste reclamation, recycling and re-use. Example of integrated fish farming practiced at a micro-level in the Niger Delta of Nigeria is crop-snailry-poultry (Chicken) -livestock (pig) -cum-fish production. In this system, fish production remains the most important activity. The organic wastes reclaimed, recycled and re-used in this system are: plant matter, chicken and pig excrements; snail, oyster and periwinkle shells, ox blood and bone, fish wastes, palm kernel cake, groundnut cake, pond silt and aquatic fern, Azolla pinnata. Other reclaimable, recyclable and re-usable materials are also discussed in this paper. Integrating organic waste reclamation, recycling and re-use in integrated fish farming with treatment, incineration, landfill and composting will help to drastically reduce waste in both rural and urban areas. @JASEM

ABSTRACT:A baseline study of the intertidal and subtidal zones of the Andoni flats was conducted to determine the basic physical and chemical characteristics of the sediment. Sediment characteristics revealed sandy to loamy (muddy) sand soils with pH of 4.09 to 5.04. Values of organic carbon varied from 0.17% in the sandy soil to 3.01% in the muddy sand soil. Other parameters determined include organic matter which varied between 0.29% and 5.22%, conductivity with values varying from 1120µScm -1 to 1800µScm -1 and water absorbency with values ranging from 21.74% to 43.73%. Particle density, bulk density and porosity of the sediment were also determined for the flats. @JASEMThe physical and chemical characteristics of any water body are of ecological significance especially in estuarine ecosystems that are prone to daily tidal physicochemical fluctuations.Studies on basic physicochemical characteristics carried out in various rivers, lagoons and estuaries in Nigeria have focused on the water quality parameters of the rivers' water columns (Akpan and

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Physicochemical characteristics of the interstitial fluid of the sediment of the intertidal and subtidal zones of the Andoni flats were studied. The results for the interstitial fluid showed low dissolved oxygen levels (0.1 -1.3mg/l), high temperature values (26.2 -32.4°C), wide salinity range (8 -21ppt) and near neutral pH (6.26 -7.76) across stations. Sampling duration was from January 1999 to December 2000 covering both wet season (AprilOctober) and dry season (November -March). The implications of the effects of fluctuating environmental variables on in-fauna inhabiting sediment are discussed. @JASEMIn recent times studies on the water quality of estuaries and coastal systems in Nigeria have received some level of increasing attention (Akpan and

The paper compares three contextually different urban areas in Nigeria's Niger Delta to understand how private involvement in the management of water has affected the spatial and socio-economic circumstances of the population. A wide range of methods including semi-structured interviews, observations and analysis of secondary records were used to collect data. The paper observed different forms of private water services including commercial/private borehole, sachet/bottled water services, mobile supplies etc. Their mode of operations and services were not significantly different between the three urban areas despite differences in institutional histories. Findings show there is pervasive impact of private engagement in the supplies and management of water services in Nigeria's Niger Delta. However such engagement is haphazard, uncoordinated, unclear and highly unregulated. We observed that while public supplies target high income residential areas, the low income areas have been taken over by commercial water vendors to further capital accumulation. Consequently the low income earners employ all forms of daily rationing practice of allocating water to minimize expenditure while indirectly maximizing potential for health and other socio-economic problems. The paper argues that the involvement of the private sector in the management of water resources in Nigeria is a neoliberal agenda translated to reflect the demands and pressures of some major international financial organizations including the World Bank and IMF, rather than practical concerns for the citizens' interest and needs.

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