LIVER HISTOPATHOLOGY OF BLACKCHIN TILAPIA (SAROTHERODON MELANOTHERON) AS A BIOMARKER OF ODIMODI RIVER BASIN HEALTH

The use of fish Liver as a histological bioindicators is an important environmental biomonitoring tool. Histological biomarkers were adopted to evaluate the health conditions of different organisms and to indicate potential environmental hazards. Histotoxicology is applied as an effective method to evaluate the influence of contaminants and other stressors in surface waters. Therefore, histological changes in the liver tissue of Sarotherodon melanotheron were evaluated and adopted as a bioindicator to measure environmental quality in Odimodi river basin, Delta state Nigeria. A purposive sample of 40 fish was collected from the referenced and experimental sites. It was observed that the referenced site was in good conservation condition, whereas the experimental sites: Location 1, 2 and 3 showed contamination. The fish species collected from experimental sites showed lesions such as degeneration, microvesicular steatosis, and inflammation of the liver; thus, it is statutory to suggest that histological biomarkers be used as the standard bioindicators to measure the environmental status or impact in the environment