Fisheries of the Lower Rufiji floodplain lakes, Tanzania: the influence of connectivity on catch composition and the potential impacts of Stiegler s Gorge dam
| dc.contributor.author | Hamerlynck, O. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Nyingi, D.W. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Duvail, S. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Vandepitte, L. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kindinda, K. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Snoeks, J. | |
| dc.date | 2013 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-03-15T10:05:41Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-03-15T10:05:41Z | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://orfeo.belnet.be/handle/internal/1818 | |
| dc.description | In order to assess the potential impacts of the construction of the Stiegler s Gorge dam on the fisheries of the Lower Rufiji, fish catches were monitored by village-based recorders for 7 years in 7 floodplain-associated lakes with varying intensity. Two lakes in particular, large well connected Lake Zumbi and small infrequently connected Lake Mtanza were intensively followed from November 2005 to March 2009. Data from the landings of some 2500 canoes were collected on 8 randomly chosen dates per month. The lakes differ in the number of days and the volume of inflows from the river and thus provide a natural experiment to explore the links between catch composition and connectivity. In situations of low connectivity, during a series of drought years, the less well connected lakes quickly lose a number of species. Multivariate analysis shows that connectivity is a major determinant of catch composition and that species such as Distichodus petersii (vulnerable), Citharinus congicus, Hydrocynus vittatus and Brycinus imberi correlate inversely with an axis linked to the number of days since the last connection. Such species are likely to decline strongly in case the Stiegler s Gorge dam is built according to the current design with a managed flood release of only 2500 cubic meters per second. Many of the lakes will most likely dry out or become increasingly saline leading to a substantial loss in human well-being in the local communities as fisheries are a major component of their livelihoods and an important source of cash income. | |
| dc.language | eng | |
| dc.title | Fisheries of the Lower Rufiji floodplain lakes, Tanzania: the influence of connectivity on catch composition and the potential impacts of Stiegler s Gorge dam | |
| dc.type | Conference | |
| dc.subject.frascati | Biological sciences | |
| dc.audience | Scientific | |
| dc.subject.free | Vertebrates | |
| dc.source.title | Fifth International Conference of the Pan African Fish and Fisheries Association (PAFFA), Bujumbura | |
| Orfeo.peerreviewed | No | |
| dc.identifier.rmca | 3479 |
Files in this item
| Files | Size | Format | View |
|---|---|---|---|
|
There are no files associated with this item. |
|||