Lake Nabigaga: a field survey undertaken by the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI)

The field survey was undertaken by NaFIRRI technical staff. The terms of reference for the survey were to make an assessment of the lake for possible cage fish farming. The survey was undertaken on the 26 August 2010 by a team composed of the several. The lake supports small subsistence fishing activities by the local communities living around it. Information from the local community indicates that the fish species/types occurring in the lake include the Ngege, Nile perch, the African catfish and the lung fish. The fishing crafts in operation are largely Dug-out and Bao Tatu canoes and the main fishing gears are nylon and monofilament gillnets, hooks and beach seines.

A report of the Fisheries Catch Assessment Survey in the Ugandan waters of Lake Victoria for the August 2007 survey

The monitoring of fish stocks as well as the magnitude, distribution and trends of fishing effort and fish catches is required for sound fisheries resources management. Conducting regular Catch Assessment Surveys (CASs) in Lake Victoria is one of the ways through which the partner states sharing the lake are generating information to contribute to the above process. The EU funded Implementation of a Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) project for Lake Victoria through the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO) is supporting the implementation of regionally harmonised CASs in Lake Victoria . The CASs under IFMP are following a statistical design laid down in Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) agreed by the three partner states of the East African Community sharing the lake. In the Ugandan part of the lake, the CASs are carried out at 54 fish landing sites selected in the eleven riparian districts sharing the lake. The National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NAFIRRI), Jinja; the Department of Fisheries Resources (DFR), Entebbe; and the Districts of Busia, Bugiri, Mayuge, Jinja, Mukono, Wakiso, Kampala, Mpigi, Masaka, Kalangala and Rakai jointly conduct the surveys. The CAS enumerators are recruited from the fishing communities and work under direct supervision of subcounty Fisheries Officers. NaFIRRI seeks to continue strengthening the engagement of the Beach Management Units (BMUs) and other fisheries Co-management Institutions in fisheries data collection .

Beel fishery and livelihood of the local community in Rajdhala, Netrakona, Bangladesh

Baseline survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) during January 2003 to December 2004 on the fishing community revealed that unregulated fishing, use of destructive fishing gears, poaching of fishes, difficulties encountered in enforcing fisheries regulation and the helplessness of fishers to find alternative sources of income during banned fishing period (June to October) were the major management problems. CBFM (Community Based Fisheries Management) system as an alternative management strategy has been introduced to ensure active participation of the target group-the poor fishers living around the beet who were previously deprived to get access to the beet. Establishing a leasing system for controlled access, ensuring greater user-group participation through equitable distribution of all resource benefits among members, attempting to enforce penalties for illegal fishing linked with surprise checks to enforce management regulations are some of the recent steps taken by the BMC (Beel Management Committee). Chapila fish intake by the community was 31.25 g/head/day before stocking the beel by carp fingerlings. After stocking, they consumed chapila as fish protein from 8.33 g to 20.8 g/head/day during the fishing season (November to May) indicating that due to introduction of carp fingerlings, chapila production has been decreased in 2003-2004. About 77.5% families around the beel were found to be dependent directly and/or indirectly on chapila and other indigenous fishes of the beel for their livelihood, through fishing, marketing and other activities like net and boat preparation and nets mending etc. Particularly fishers' families were found to face serious problem during non-fishing period like June to October for their livelihood. Analyzing the present research result it was also observed that other than declination in biodiversity, the fishing pressure on promising chapila of the beel was found high and that is why the production of chapila has also been decreased. To get sustainable chapila production from the heel, it is suggested to ensure successful spawning and recruitment as juveniles, and hence the chapila should be undisturbed during its breeding period from March to July, and fishing pressure on the same species needs to be reduced for obtaining sustainable fish production.

Report of the baseline survey undertaken on the Chinese cage site in Napoleon Gulf, Northern Lake Victoria, 12 March 2012

The government of the People's Republic of China through a 2007 agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uganda, has establishment of an Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center (ATDC). The first phase covering the building of aquaculture infrastructure at Kajjansi ARDC is complete and the second operation phase has started in which facilities for cage culture have been set up in the Napoleon gulf, northern Lake Victoria near Jinja. The cage facility is aimed at boosting fish farming within the lake as a diversification to the traditional pond fish culture technology. NaFIRRI scientists as well as Chinese experts undertook a baseline survey in the chosen cage site on 12 March 2012. The survey covered determination of water depth, water transparency, measurement of selected physical-chemical parameters (temperature,dissolved oxygen, conductivity and pH; determination of the nutrient status and study of algae, invertebrate and fish communities at the site. Materials and methodologies used in the survey were based on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of NaFIRRI. The study area was divided into three study sites. Site 1 (upstream) was at 8.9 metre depth while site 2 (proposed cage site) and site 3 (downstream) were 6 and 4.3 metres deep respectively. Water transparency was lowest at site 1 (1.58 m) and highest at site 3 (1.64 m). Dissolved oxygen at the three sites ranged from 6.0 to 8 mg/I. Water temperature profiles fluctuated within narrow limits between 26.5 and 27.5 DC. Measurements of pH were between 7 (neutral) and 8 (alkaline) while electrical conductivity was between 98 and 101 uS/em. These observed physical-chemical parameters at the study site were considered suitable for cage fish rearing purposes. Nitrite-nitrogen levels varied within narrow limits from 0.043 to 0.0453 mgtl. Similarly, Ammonia-nitrogen varied between 0.015 and 0.0185 mg/1. Soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) level was highest at site 3 (O.012mgll) compared to that at sites 1 and 2 (0.009mgll). Total suspended solids (TSS) were higher at site 1 (83.3mgll), thereafter decreasing to lower levels at sites 2 (24.8mgtl) and 3 (19.8mgl) respectively. The nutrient level results observed here all fall below the maximum permissible limits by NEMA and therefore the site is recommended for cage culture The algal community was constituted by four major groups: Blue greens,Greens, Cryptophytes, and Diatoms with blue greens as the common and dominant group. High algal biomass (19944961 ugtL) of the dominant blue green algae was observed at site 1 compared site 2 and 3 (58655.2 & 27487. 7 ugtL) respectively. Occurrence of toxicin producing algae: microsytis and cylindrospermopsis in the proposed cage area was considered to be of not much significance as their concentrations were below harmful levels. However, monitoring their presence, biomass and seasonality will be critical in order to follow when and where they occur and at what time of the year for ease of management of the cages

Survey on the digenean and monogenean helminthes of clupeidae (teleosts) from southern part of Caspian Sea

The helminthes parasites fauna of 313 specimens of Caspian herrings (Clupeonella cultriventris, Clupeonella engrauliformis, Clupeonella grimmi) caught from catching localities situated in southeast of Caspian Sea Were investigated during winter 2008 until autumn 2009. A total of 3 helminthes species were found. They were including Pseudopentagramma symmetrica from intestine (mid gut, hind gut and cecae) Bunocotyle cingulata in intestine, Mazocreas alosae the only monogenean with Marine origin in the gills of infected specimens. In addition to two zoonotic species including Contracecum sp. and Anisakis sp. in digestive system, muscle and ovary and an Acanthocephal, Corynosoma strumosum in intestine which were previously reported. We can conclude that the main characteristic of the helminthes parasites community of Clupeidae species studied is the dominance of the endoparasites species due mainly to the digenean Pseudopentagramma symmetrica and Bunocotyle cingulata and the relative scarcity of ectohelminthes fauna. In this paper the latest data of helminthes fauna and community ecology of digenean of Clupeidae species are presented and the community structure of Pseudopentagramma symmetrica is discussed.