A report of the Fisheries Catch Assessment Survey in the Ugandan waters of Lake Victoria for the February 2008 survey

Between July 2005 and February 2008, ten Catch Assessment Surveys (CASs) were conducted at 54 pre-selected fish landing sites in the Ugandan part of Lake Victoria comprising approximately 10% of all landing sites in each of the 11 districts sharing the lake. The CASs were conducted following regionally harmonised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This report covers the CAS conducted in February 2008 and puts into context the trends generated by results of the previous surveys. The catch rates of Nile perch in gillnetting boats with motor/sail, reduced from 26.9 kg boat-1 day-1 in August 2007 to 22.8 kg boat-1 day-1 in February 2008. Whereas the catch rates of paddle Sesse boats remained more or less the same as in August 2007. The Nile perch catch rates of the long line fishery of the boats using motor/sail was similar, 35 and 36 kg boat-1 day-1 in August 2007 and February 2008 respectively but the catch rates of paddle Sesse boats using long lines showed some more increase from 19 to 22 kg boat (-1) day (-1). In the tilapia fishery, the catch rates of the parachute boats using gillnets showed further decrease in a row from 12.6 kg boat-1 day-1 in December 2006, 11.6 kg boat-1 day-1 in March 2007, 11.2 kg boat-1 day-1 in August 2007 and 10.0 kg boat-1 day-1 in February 2008. The overall impact of reduced catch rates in the predominant effort groups, e.g. gillnetting boats using motor/sail in the Nile perch fishery and Parachute boats using gillnets in the tilapia fishery overshadowed the increases in less dominant effort groups and resulted in the lowest monthly catch estimates recorded in the surveys conducted since 2005. Whereas there was a clear downward trend in the Nile perch catch rates of boats using gillnets, which corroborates with the information of declining stocks from the recent Acoustics surveys, the catch rates in the long line fishery remained stable and even somewhat increasing in the last four surveys. The factors that maintain high catches against reduction of fish biomass in the long line fishery and their effects on sustainability of the Nile perch fishery should be investigated further. The Mukene fishery, characterised by large fluctuations in the catch rates did not show much change in the last two surveys in August 2007 and February 2008 and the annual catch estimates showed an overall increase of 7% from 2005 to 2007. The Mukene fishery in the Ugandan waters of Lake Victoria remained a near shore fishery in which paddle Sesse boats using small seines or scoop nets were the dominant craft.

Final report of the Fisheries Catch Assessment Survey in the Ugandan waters of Lake Victoria for the May 2011 survey

This report presents findings of the CAS conducted in the Ugandan waters of Lake Victoria in May 2011. The results of the previous eleven CASs conducted under the IFMP of the LVFO programme in July, August, September and November 2005; in March, August and December 2006; in March and August 2007; in February and December 2008; and March 2010 are included to show the emerging trends. The report also presents annual catch estimates for the Ugandan part of the lake from 2005 to 2011. Through these CASs, information is building up to show the emerging picture of fish production in the Ugandan waters of the lake. Similar surveys are conducted in the Kenyan and Tanzanian parts of the lake, which provide the lake wide perspective of fisheries production but this time not simultaneously as under the LVFO effort due to different sources and timing of funding. These data can now be utilised together with other Resource and Socio-economic Monitoring survey data for a stock assessment of the lake to provide a firm basis for planning and management of the fisheries resources.

Bottom trawl codend mesh selectivity for Bagrus docmac (Forskahl) from Lake Victoria, with some remarks on the proposed trawl fishery

The methods of estimating codend selectivity for alternate hauls are briefly described and applied to Bagrus docmac (forskahl) data from Lake Victoria. Certain inconsistencies are noted and it is postulated that they may be due to differential escapement of larger Bagrus docmac through the trawl meshes when the different codends were fitted. The calculated 50% selection lengths yielded a fair regression on measured weigh give a fork length selection factor of 2.33, consistent with data from the smallest codend mesh size used. The implications of the findings are briefly discussed in relation to the proposed Haplochromis trawl fishery 1971.

The establishment of a commercial fishery for Haplochromis in the Uganda waters of Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria, straddling the Equator, is the second largest lake in the world, with a surface area of approximately 26,000 square miles (41,500 square kilometers) and a maximum depth of about 300 feet. Uganda possesses most of the north end of the lake which consists of a long, indented coastline and a chain of offshore islands on the edge of a 'continental shelf' separating relatively shallow sheltered inshore waters from the deeper open waters of the lake. At the present time the lake is harvested mainly by a native gill net fishery confined almost entirely to the shallow sheltered inshore waters. The annual production of all species from Uganda waters is in the region of 24,000 tons per annum, and Tilapia(Cichlidae)is commercially the most important genus. Haplochromis, a close relative of Tilapia, but generally much smaller, contributes only a small amount to this annual production; see Table 1, although they are probably the most abundant group of fish present in the lake. Through international aid programmes Uganda has been offered a canning plant and it is thought that Haplochromis is the most suitable type of fish to be utilized by such a plant. The Uganda Fisheries Department are conducting research into processing techniques and marketing and the East African Freshwater Fisheries Research Organization was asked to conduct a survey of the Haplochromis stocks of the lake with a view to estimating the ability or otherwise of these stocks to support a commercial canning industry.

Lake Victoria Region (East) Annual Report 1976

The fishing industry on Lake Victoria continued to provide a wide spectrum of activities to a variety of people principally the fishermen and the fish mongers, boat builders,fishnets and associated equipment manufacturer transporters on land and water and finally the consumers of the end product the fish. Though there were such varied activities in the industry the year under review, as in previous other recent years, was difficult one being, characterized by continued shortages of fishing gear and accessories, spare parts for the outboard engines, timber for boat building, nails, paints and generally high prices of those items when ever found. Thus this total sum the activities of the fishing industry on Lake victoria was rather slack as compared to those of precious year.

An analysis of records of gillnet fishing in Pilkington Bay, Lake Victoria

Among the commercially valuable species occurring in Lake Victoria the two endemic species of Tilapia, T. esculenta (Graham) and T. variabilis (Boulenger) still provide the basis for the fishery in many areas, though in some places the non-cichlid species are more important, for example in the Kagera river area where large numbers of Labeo victorianus and Schilbe mystus migrate seasonally into the river. Although certain species show these habitat preferences. Most of the coastline of Lake Victoria supports a wide variety of species, all of which contribute to the commercial fishery. Over the past ten years the East African Fisheries Research Organisation has fished experimentally a number of stations within a radius of fifty miles from Jinja. These stations have been selected so as to cover a variety of habitats which range from sheltered bays to exposed coastlines. The records discussed in this paper are the result of fishing operations carried out in Pilkington Bay over the period December 1954 to November 1956. This series of fishing operations was carried out in an attempt to assess the composition of the fish populations contained in this area. To this end a variety of nets of differing mesh sizes were used. Pilkington Bay is about ten square miles in extent and is an irregular and deep indentation on the north coast of Buvuma Island. It lies within the sleeping siclmess area where fishing by Africans is prohibited. When selecting an experimental fishing ground, it is important to have some idea of the amount of commercial fishing being carried out in the area. Throughout the period of this experiment a few African fishermen were seen operating illegally in the area, but it is unlikely that their efforts greatly affected the results obtained. Pilkington Bay was fished by E.A.F.R.O. in 1949 and 1950 (Lowe McConnell 1956) but since then till the present experiment, fishing in the area has been infrequent.

On the Catch Assessement Survey (CAS) of Lake Victoria

If recent estimates are accurate the world’s human population can be expected to double in the next thirty years. The rate of growth will likely be even greater in many African nations, yet food supplies in these countries especially of essential animal proteins, are even not; inadequate Clearly increased production of food for domestic consumption must become a high- priority development goal. The inland fisheries of Africa will play an increasingly important role in augmenting protein supplies. In 1970, production of the inland fisheries was already-about 1.4 million metric tons, and had increased some 71 per cent in the previous six years. With further development and more affective fishery management a two-fold increase 1n output over the present level can reasonably be expected. Effective management of the fisheries at optimum exploitation levels end development of under utilized fish resources will neccessite major improvement in the stastistical systems employed to produce information on the fish stocks and fisheries. More reliable and detailed information on the catch, effort and other important aspect of the fishing enterprises will be required.

Lake Victoria Fisheries Service Annual Report 1957/58

The major task in hand at the beginning of the year was the Deep Water Fishing Survey in Uganda waters. This has continued throughout the year with varying, lm generally, not particularly encouraging, results. A full account is given in paras. 33 to 67 of this Report. The new method of marking Tilapia was introduced at the beginning of the year, and, apart from delays resulting from the delivery position of marking materials, has gone ahead steadily. The improvement in results expected from this method was already evident after only nine months' work, and information has been obtained which never was-nor could have been-obtained by the old method of marking. A full account is given in paras 114 to 133.

Environment monitoring technical report for the SON cage fish culture site at Bugungu, Napoleon Gulf, northern Lake Victoria, November 2013

Source of the Nile Fish farm (SON) is located at Bugungu area in Napoleon Gulf, northern Lake Victoria. The proprietors of the farm and the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) have an established collaborative arrangement where NaFIRRI provides technical back‐stopping to enable quarterly environment monitoring of the cage site as a mandatory requirement of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). The agreed study areas are selected physical‐chemical factors (water depth, water transparency/secchi depth, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, and nutrient status), algal community (including primary production), aquatic invertebrates (zooplankton and macro‐benthos) and the fish community. This report presents field observations made during the fourth quarter (October‐December) field survey undertaken during December 2013; along with scientific interpretation and discussion of the results in reference to possible impacts of the cage facility to the water environment quality and aquatic biota.

Technical guidelines for management of fisheries resources, biodiversity and environment of Victoria basin lakes

Lake victoria is the second largest lake in the world.the lake is shatred between three East African countries (Kenya,Uganda and Tanzania) the lake basin is estimatedto have about 30 million people who depend on it as a source of fish for food,employment,income and recreation.the lake is transport locally and regionally is used for recreation and is recongnised internationally for its high fish species diversity of ecological and scientific value. This document in the first in a series to be produced on different fish production systems in Uganda and should stimulate discussions and comments to guide application of scientific findings into the policy environment.

Environment monitoring technical report for the SON cage fish culture site at Bugungu, Napoleon Gulf, northern Lake Victoria, June 2013

Source of the Nile Fish farm (SON) is located at Bugungu area in Napoleon Gulf, northern Lake Victoria. The proprietors of the farm requested NaFIRRI to provide technical assistance to undertake regular environment monitoring of the cage site as a mandatory requirement under the NEMA conditions. NAFIRRI agreed to undertake regular environment surveys in the cage area covering selected physical‐chemical factors (water column depth, water transparency, water column temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, nutrient status), algal aquatic invertebrates (micro‐invertebrates/zooplankton and macro‐benthos) and fish communities. During the year 2013, it was agreed with management to undertake quarterly environment monitoring surveys. However, the first quarter (January‐March 2013) survey was missed out due to late decision. The present report therefore covers the survey taken during the second quarter (April‐June 2013). Results/observations made are presented in this technical report along with a scientific interpretation and discussion of the results with reference to possible impacts of the cage facilities to the water environment and aquatic biota.

Migration of fishermen and its impacts on fisheries management on Lake Victoria, Uganda

The purpose of the study was to investigate migratory movements of fishermen on lake victoria.To identify the cuases of fishrmen migration with a view to establishing the paterns of migration;determining season of migration and assessing the impacts of migration on fisheries management and development.

Monitoring of the socio-economics status of fisher communties on Lake Victoria, Uganda

The objectives of the study was to provide information on the changes in the socio- economis status of the fisher communities.The study aimed at contributing to the following selected OVIs of the IFMP log frame:"10% increased in incomes from fish catches by fishing crews by EOP",20% women in BMUs reporting increased household incomefrom fishing by EOP","50% women and fishing crews in BMUs reporting greater say in fisheries decision making.

National report of the frame survey 2010 on the Uganda side of Lake Victoria

This is a report on the results of the Frame Survey conducted in the Uganda side of Lake Victoria during August 2010 by the LVFO Institutions, namely: the Department of Fisheries Resources (DFR) Uganda and the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) in close collaboration with the District Fisheries offices of Busia, Bugiri, Mayuge, Jinja, Mukono, Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi, Masaka, Kalangala and Rakai. The authors are grateful to the LVEMP II, for providing funds for the survey and the LVFO secretariat coordination. Fisheries Frame surveys have been carried out on Lake Victoria biannually since 2000 to determine the number of fishers, fish landing sites, and facilities at the landing sites, as well as the composition of fishing crafts, their mode of propulsion, fishing gears and the fish species they target. This information is used to guide development and management of the lake’s fisheries. Following the reorganisation of landing sites into Beach Management Units (BMUs), the number of landing sites decreased from 597 in 2000 to 435 in 2008. The survey in 2010 showed an increase to 503 landing sites, an indication that new landing sites are coming up. The fish landing sites continue to have inadequate facilities such as fish shades, cold rooms to service the fisheries industry and very few (5%) have access to electricity and 32% had access to all weather roads. There has been some progressive improvement in the landing site coverage of basic hygiene and sanitation facilities, especially public toilet facilities from 17% in 2000 to 39% in 2010; and portable water from 4% to 17% respectively. However more effort is required to cover all landing sites. Most landing sites (83%) have access to mobile phone networks which eases communication. 46% of landing sites had access to a Health clinic and 64% had a Primary school within a radius of 2 km.

Social and economic implications of the fishery distribution patterns on Lake Victoria, Uganda

The fisheries of Lake Victoria have undergonea dramatic transformation during the last two decades. From being a locally based fishery with little intervention and capital investment from outside,the present fishery is dominated by national and international capital penetrating the industry. It is explosion in the growth of nile perch and the strong demand devloped for this fishin the global markets, which have transformed the fisheries of the Lake victoria. This report presents the results of a survey carried out between October 2001 and February 2002 about the fishery distribution patterns and their impacts on fisher communities of Lake Victoria. The fisheries distribution pattern of the lake is described as well as the flows and benefits from the fisheries resource and the resource constraints and sustainability options. A major part of the paper discusses some of the socio-economic impacts of the rapid changes that are responsible for the present fisheries. It particularly focuses on the effect of the Nile perch boom, its globalization and the development of the fish industry in Uganda, on food security and employment for the local population.