Summary of Characteristics of Major African Lakes
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Appendix Summary of characteristics of major African lakes Nineteen lakes are included, giving details of location, depth and area, conductivity, pH, primary production, fish fauna, main commercial species status of introductions and, where available, approximate yield figures and the main ecological considerations. Values are taken from Vanden Bossche and Bernacsek (1990,1991), Craig (1992) and relevant chapters ofthis book. The Impact of Species Changes in African Lakes. Edited by Tony J. Pitcher and Paul J.B. Hart. Published in 1995 by Chapman & Hall. London. ISBN 0 412 550504. 548 Appendix: Summary of characteristics of major African lakes LAKE ALBERT (MOBUTU) Natural lake, Zaire and Uganda, 01 °50'N. 300 40'E (location map. Fig. 5.1) Western Rift Physical data Area Volume Depth (m) Drawdown Outflow/ (km2 ) (km3 ) (m) vol. ratio Mean Max. Secchi 6800 140 25 58 2.0-6.0 pH Conductivity Primary productivity Temp. (Ilmho cm-1 CC) at 20°C) gCm-2 day-1 8.9-9.5 730 0.8 - 3.8 Other physical information Stratified. Fish Total no. Total no. Non-cichlids· Cichlids· families species Genera Species Genera Species 14 46 26 (0) 37 (2) 2 (0) 9 (4) Introductions None. Main commercial species Alestes (A. baremose). Hydrocynus. Lates (1. macrophthalmus - lives offshore). Bagrus. Oreochromis niloticus. O. leucostictus. Sarotherodon galiIaeus. TiIapia zilIii and Citharinus citharus. Fishing gears used Gill nets. beach seines. longlines. rod and line. Total landings 12 548 tyear-1 in 1963. 12 532 tyear-1 in 1988. Fish production 125 kg ha -1 (1.3 gC m -2 year-1). Ecological considerations Fish species are similar to riverine Nile fish. • Numbers in parentheses are endemic. Lake Bengweulu 549 LAKE BANGWEULU Natural lake. Zambia. 10° 55'S. 300 1O'E (location map. Fig. 1.1) Natural shallow lakes. swamps and seasonally inundated floodplains Physical data Volume Depth (m) Drawdown Outflow! (km3 ) (m) vol. ratio Mean Max. Secchi 2072 2.5 10 0.8-1.05 pH Conductivity Primary productivity Temp. O2 (J.1mho cm~1 eC) (mgl~l) at 20°C) gCm~2day~1 gCm~2year-l 7.0-8.3 14-35 270 Fish Total no. Total no. Non-cichlids* Cichlids* families species Genera Species Genera Species 68 31 (0) 59 (3) 5 (0) 9 (1) Introductions None. Main commercial species Cichlids. mormyrids. clariids. bagrids. mochokids. characids. Fishing gears used Gill nets. Total landings 12 000-15 000 t year~ 1. Potential fish yields 10-35 kg ha ~ 1 year~ 1. • Numbers in parentheses are endemic. 550 Appendix: Summary of characteristics of major African lakes LAKE CARORA BASSA Human-made lake. Mozambique. 16°00'8. 31 °OO'E (location map. Fig. 5.1) Middle Zambezi dam closed in 1974 Physical data Area Volume Depth (m) Drawdown Outflow/ (km2 ) (km3 ) (m) vol. ratio Mean Max. 8ecchi 2665 70 21 156 6 2:1 pH Conductivity Primary productivity Temp. (J1Dlho cm-I (OC) at 20°C) 7.0-8.2 112-132 6.0-7.0 Other physical information High clay loadings. Introductions Limnothrissa miodon by natural migration down the Zambezi. Main commercial species Hydrocynus vittatus. Labeo spp .• Limnothrissa miodon. Clarias gariepinus. Oreochromis mortimeri. Distichodus schenga. Fishing gears used Gill nets. Potential yield of L. miodon. 8000 t year-I. No time series data available. Fishing density 0.46 fishermen per km2 in 1984; critical denSity. 1.5 per km2• Ecological considerations Fisheries development has been impaired by warfare. lack of government infrastructure inputs. insufficiencies of fishing gears and crafts. inappropriate processing practices. difficulty in marketing catch and conflicts between fishermen and some official bodies. Lake Chad 551 LAKE CHAD Natural lake. Chad and Nigeria. l3°ss'N. l3°40'E (location map. Fig. 1.1) Physical data Depth (m) Drawdown Outflow/ (m) vol. ratio Mean Max. Secchi 10000- 12 0.15-1.27 25000 pH Conductivity Primary productivity Temp. (~ho cm- I ("C) at 20°C) gCm-2 day-I 7.1-8.3 40-88 0.7-2.7 Fish Total no. Total no. Non-cichlids* Cichlids· families species Genera Species Genera Species 93 41 (0) 84 (8) 3 (0) 9 (1) Introductions None. Main commercial species Lates niloticus. Hydrocynus vittatus. Alestes baremose. Totallandings 22 400 t year-I. Ecological considerations The lake has been subjected to serious droughts as it lies just south of the Sahara and has oscillated in size over the years. Fish biomass has varied as a result of lake size from 30 to 5620kgha-I. Fish species are strongly influenced by inflowing rivers into which many fish enter to spawn. The lake is now almost dried up due to climatic conditions. • Numbers in parentheses are endemic. 552 Appendix: Summary of characteristics of major African lakes LAKE CHILWA Natural lake. MalaWi. 15°30'S. 35°30'E (location map. Fig. 1.1) Physical data Depth (m) Drawdown Outflow/ (m) vol. ratio Mean Max. Secchi 7500· 2.5b 0.2b pH Conductivity Primary productivity Temp. (lJlllho cm-1 ("C) at 20°C) 1200d 21-31 5.2e Generalized water balance. 1961-1971 Rainfall. 893 mm; inflow. 410 mm; evaporation. 1303mm. Fish Total no. Total no. Non-cichlids* Cichlids* families species Genera Species Genera Species 3 13 6 (0) 8 (0) 3 (0) 5 (0) Introductions None. Main commercial species Clarias mossambicus. Barbus paludinosus. Oreochromis shiranus chilwae. Fishing gears used Gill nets. beach seines. Total landings 100-9800tyear-1. Depends on water level. In 1976. 159kgha-1 year-I. One-third of national fish landings in MalaWi. Year Mean Total Sarotherodon Barbus Clarias depth biomass (m) (t) (%) (%) (%) 1965 1.08 8820 48 26 26 1968 0.00 97 4 7 89 1970 1.05 4166 8 35 57 1973 0.02 1903 ? ? ? 1976 2.00 19746 14 52 34 Ecological considerations In times of drought. fish take refuge in lagoons and streams. Clarias mossambicus can withstand desiccation and high conductivity. • Numbers in parentheses are endemic . • Chilwa Basin. bVariable. eIn open water. Value in midswamp is 8.7; at land edge of swamp. 7.6. dIn open water. In midswamp. 1250; at land edge of swamp. 1000. eIn open water. In midswamp. 1.1; at land edge of swamp. 0.0. Lake Edward (Idi Amin) 553 LAKE EDWARD (IDI AMIN) Natural lake, ZaIre, 0025'S, 29°40'E (location map, Fig. 5.1) Western Rift Physical data Depth (m) Drawdown Outflow/ (m) vol. ratio Mean Max. Secchi 2325 78 34 117 1.8-3.0 pH Conductivity Primary productivity Temp. (Ilmho cm- 1 CC) at 20°C) gC m -2 year- 1 8.7-9.3 840 1500 Fish Total no. Total no. Non-cichlids* Cichlids* families species Genera Species Genera Species 8 77 10 (0) 17 (2) 5 (1) 60 (59) See Lake George data. * Numbers in parentheses are endemic. 554 Appendix: Summary of characteristics of major African lakes LAKE GEORGE Natural lake, Uganda, 0·02'N, 30·25'E (location map, Fig. 5.1) West limb Rift Valley. Outflow Kazinga Channel to Lake Edward. Physical data Depth (m) Drawdown Outflow/ (m) vol. ratio Mean Max. Secchi 270 0.7 2.5 3.0 0.4 pH Conductivity Primary productivity Temp. (~ho cm- 1 rC) at 20·C) 8.5-9.5 200 25-35 Can be super saturated 259% Other physical information Stratified by day, but this breaks down at night. Fish Total no. Total no. Non-cichlids* Cichlids* families species Genera Species Genera Species 8 77 10 (0) 17 (2) 5 (1) 60 (59) Introductions None. Main commercial species Oreochromis niloticus, Bagrus docmac, Clarias lazera, Protopterus aethiopicus. Fishing gears used Gill nets for cichlids. Minimum size limit 5 inches (12.5 cm). Use canoes for fishery. Baited longlines for predators. Total landings 12 031 tyear- 1 in 1963 and 5936tyear-1 in 1988. Biomass 45000-55000 fish ha- 1 and 29 ± 5gm-2• Haplochromis mgnpmms 30000 ha -1 and 6.7 g m - 2, H. angustifrons 15 500 ha -1 and 2.1 g m - 2, H. squamipinnis 172 ha- 1 and 0.4 gm-2, Oreochromis niloticus 130ha-1 and 3.7 gm-2 andProtopterus aethiopicus 6ha-1 and 1.5gm-2, Ecological considerations A eutrophic lake where reduction in oxygen can lead to fish kills. Of the total biomass in open water, 95% is phytoplankton. Standing crops of other organisms are not high but fluctuate little throughout the year. Species composition of the open water is dominated by bluegreen algae and three herbivores, one cyclopoid copepod and two fish. Inshore areas carry a greater variety of animals which are preyed upon by a great multiplicity of fish, particularly haplochromids. *Numbers in parentheses are endemic. Lake Itezhi-tezhi 555 LAKE ITEZHI-TEZHI (KAFUE GORGE) Human-made Zambia, 15°45'S, 26°30'E (map, Fig. 15.1) reservoir, dam closed in 1977 Kafue River, Physical data Depth (m) Drawdown Outflow/ (m) vol. ratio Mean Max. Secchi 3700 7 Fish Total no. Total no. Non-cichlids Cichlids families species Genera Species Genera Species 67 Introductions L. miodon in 1992, not yet fished. Main commercial species Oreochromis andersoni, O. macrochir, Clarias gariepinus, C. ngamensis, Serranochromis angusticeps, TiIapia rendalli, T. sparmani, Schilbe mystus, Hepstus odoe, Labeo molybdinus. Fishing gears used Gill nets, beach seines. Total landings 8634 tyear-1 in 1978 (16% of Zambia's production), less than 1000 tonnes in 1988. 556 Appendix: Summary of characteristics of major African lakes LAKE KAINJI Human-made Nigeria. lOo00'N. 4°3S'E (location map. Fig. 1.1) reservoir. dam closed in 1968 River Niger Physical data Area Volume Depth (m) Drawdown Outflow/ (kro2 ) (km3 ) (m) vol. ratio Mean Max. Secchi 1280 15.8 12.3 50 0.1-3 10 4:1 pH Conductivity Primary productivity Temp.