TITLE:
Growth, and Stock Status Assessment of African Catfish, Clarias anguillaris (Linnaeus, 1758) from Burkina Faso Newly Man-Made Lake Samandeni
AUTHORS:
Nomwine Da, Raymond Ouedraogo, Adama Oueda
KEYWORDS:
Growth, Stock Status, Clarias anguillaris, Samandeni Reservoir, Burkina Faso
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.14 No.7,
July
21,
2023
ABSTRACT: The Samandeni reservoir in Burkina Faso, impounded
in 2017, hosts a significant diversity of fish, including the Clariidae family.
The fish stocks have been exploited since
2019, when the reservoir was opened to fishermen. However, no assessment of the status of these stocks has
been conducted. The present study focused on the dynamics of Clarias
anguillaris exploitation in order to have
reliable information that can contribute to the planning of its
sustainable exploitation. Length-frequency data on 323 individuals were sampled from commercial catches from March 2021 to
February 2022. The growth parameters were determined using ELEFAN method
and the stock assessment was done using the Bayesian Length-Based Biomass (LBB)
method. The growth analysis showed isometry for both male and female fishes
with allometric coefficient value of 3.03, 3.01 and 3.17 respectively for mixed
sexes, male and female. Estimates values (0.6 and 0.4) of the growth
oscillation intensity indicate the existence of seasonal growth. The relative
biomass (B/B0) estimated for C. anguillaris was less than
the relative biomass that produces the maximum sustainable yield (BMSY/B0)
indicating biomass overfishing. In addition, the length at first capture was
less than the optimal length at first capture indicating a growth overfishing
status. Therefore, it would be desirable to
increase the mesh size of the fishing gear so that juveniles are not
caught, which will ensure an ecological sustainability of the exploitation of
the Clariidae.