Catch composition and size distribution: a comparative study of drift gillnets and fixed gillnets in the Black Volta, Ghana

Samuel Kwasi SARPONG

Abstract

Inland fisheries are a major contributor to many developing countries, providing employment, nutrition, and income to numerous households. Unfortunately, it is lacking in the areas of research, policy, and sustainable management. In Ghana, the inland fishery revolves around the Volta Lake. The objective of this study therefore was to comparatively assess the size catches and catch composition of fixed gillnets and driftnets of the same mesh sizes on the Stratum VII of the Volta Lake, also known as the Black Volta. The study concentrated on four commercial fish species, Viz, Oreochromis niloticus, Synodontis nigrita, Labeo coubie, and Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus. There were no significant differences in the catch sizes of both gears among all the target species, except L. coubie. C. nigrodigitatus however had an obvious opposing skewness of catch size distribution under the two fishing gears. The difference in the median size catches was not, significant under statistical testing. The percentage catch composition showed that L. coubie was caught more by the fixed gillnet (43 %), while O. niloticus was the highest for driftnet (36.1%). C. nigrodigitatus was the least for both, recording 8.1 % and 9.5 % for driftnet and fixed gillnet, respectively. This study shows the complexity of multi-species and multi-gear fisheries like the Volta Lake. Hence a need for thorough assessment and data collection for meaningful and sustainable management decision-making.

Keywords

Black Volta, Inland fisheries, Gillnets

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References

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