Jordan Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Volume 13, No.1 2017 -45- *Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, University of Agriculture Makurdi, Nigeria  okomodavictor@yahoo.com Received on 16/12/2015 and Accepted for Publication on 25/4/2016. © 2017 DAR Publishers/The University of Jordan. All Rights Reserved. Abundance Composition of Fish In Lake Kalgwai Jigawa State, Nigeria Solomon, S.G.*, Ayuba, V.O.*, Tahir, M.A.*, Okomoda V.T.* 3 ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine fish composition and diversity Index in Lake Kalgwai Jigawa State, Nigeria between July 2012 and April 2013. The ichthyofauna of Lake Kalgwai was assessed using catches statistics at three major landing sites of the Lake, namely Marke, Dingare and Kalgwai. Twenty-seven fish species belonging to sixteen families were encountered during the study period. Fish species of Cichlidae, Bagridae, and Mormyridae were found dominant representing 13.8%, 13.4% and 12.6% of the total catch, respectively. Citharinidae was the least abundant (0.53%). Eight species were found numerically dominant in the catch based on the monthly generated data. It include Lates niloticus (11.1%), Oreochromis niloticus (11.1%), Mormyrus macrophthalmus (9.8%), Synodontis nigrita (8.4%), Bagrus bayad (8.4%), Heterotis niloticus (7.6%), Malapterurus electricus (7.5%%), and Clarias gariepinus (7.0%). Fish diversity indices estimated included species richness (d) which ranged from 0.94 (March) to 1.93 (October), Shannon – Wiener index (H’) between 0.22 (January) to 1.60 (July), Equitability Index (J) ranging from 0.10 in January to 0.89 in July, Simpson’s Index (D) from 0.14 (October) to 0.23 (July) and Species Heterogeneity (1 – D) from 0.77 (September) to 0.86 (October). It was concluded that there was high fish species richness in the Lake. Also, species equitability index of fishes across all the landing sites reveals that the distribution of species or fish population is nearly even. Keywords: Fish Species, Composition, Diversity Index, Lake Kalgwai, Jigawa State, Nigeria. INTRODUCTION Generally, from local to global levels, fisheries and aquaculture play important roles in food supply, food security and income generation. Some 43.5 million people worldwide work directly in these sectors and most of them are in developing countries of the world (FAO, 2006). Fish supply in Africa is in crisis (FAO, 2012). Per capita consumption in sub-Saharan Africa is the lowest compared to all other regions of the world, and it is on a continuous declining (FAO, 2014). The main reason for this decline is the reduction in capture fisheries and the ever growing population (FAO, 2012). In order to maintain the current level of per capita supply of fish in sub-Saharan Africa (6.6 kg/year), fish production (capture fisheries and aquaculture) must increase by 27.7% based on the assumption of average annual population growth of 1.9% expected during 2002-2015 (World Bank, 2004). Lakes and reservoirs apart from playing the noble role of providing a relatively cheap source of animal protein, it can also provide employment opportunities along the capture fisheries value chain and to some extent reduce rural-urban drift (FAO, 2014). Another importance of inland fisheries of reservoirs and lakes is that they provide support, protection and nursery to the early life cycle stages of almost all commercially and ecologically important fresh water fish particularly those belonging to families like Moachkidae, Cichlidae, Mormyridae etc. (World Fish Centre, 2004). Unfortunately, economic returns from Africa’s capture fisheries are stagnating as a result of continual reduction in fish catches, hence, incomes and livelihoods of the small-scale fishers are greatly affected (FAO 2012). As demand for fish and competition to access