Regional Catch Assesment Survey of 2019 for Lakes Edward and Albert (D.R Congo and Uganda)
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REGIONAL CATCH ASSESMENT SURVEY OF 2019 FOR LAKES EDWARD AND ALBERT (D.R CONGO AND UGANDA) NELSAP Technical Reports: Basin Development Series 2020 - 04 JUNE 2020 MULTINATIONAL LAKES EDWARD AND ALBERT INTEGRATED FISHERIES AND WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (LEAF II) PROJECT Regional Technical Report of Catch Assessment Surveys (CAS) of Lake Edward and Lake Albert was conducted by the National Service for the promotion and development of fisheries / Service National de Promotion et de Développement de la Pêche (SENADEP) of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) of Uganda on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Ugandan sides of lakes Edward and Albert between July and August 2019. This report was prepared by the Regional Catch Assessment Survey Working Group (RWG) composed of technicl experts from DRC, UGANDA and NELSAP LEAF II Project. December 2019 The purpose of the technical report series is to support informed stakeholder dialogue and decision making in order to achieve sustainable socio-economic development through equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the shared Nile Basin water resources. Project: Multinational Lakes Edward And Albert Integrated Fisheries And Water Resources Management (LEAF II) Project Funding Source: The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) Project Number: Disclaimer The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of NBI’s Member States or its development partners. Trademark names and symbols are used in an editorial fashion and no intention of infringement on trade mark or copyright laws. While every care has been exercised in compiling and publishing the information and data contained in this document, the NBI regrets any errors or omissions that may have been unwittingly made in this publication. The NBI is not an authority on International Administrative Boundaries. All country boundaries used in this publication are based on FAO Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL). © 2019 Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP-CU) / Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) 2 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS REPORT 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Regional Catch Assessment Survey Working Group (RWG) is grateful to the NELSAP LEAF II Project Regional Implementation Unit for supporting the fisheries monitoring surveys particularly, the Frame and Catch Assessment Surveys on lakes Edward and Albert. The contribution towards planning and implementation of these surveys by the LEAF II national coordination offices in Uganda and DRC is also acknowledged. The fisheries personnel from the riparian districts, territories and provinces of lakes Edward and Albert are equally appreciated for their contribution into the planning and mobilization of enumerators and riparian communities. The field enumerators who undertook the actual field data collection are highly appreciated for the job well done. The fisher communities, particularly those at the CAS landing sites in the two lakes are highly appreciated for the good cooperation during the field data collection exercise. In the same spirit, we extend our sincere appreciation to the landing site management and administrative committees for publicizing the CAS activity and encouraging active participation of the respective communities. Sincere gratitude goes to the governments of the DRC and Uganda for their commitment to strengthening the bond of cooperation within the framework of the implementation of the LEAF II Project in the two countries. The Directorates of Fisheries Resources (DiFR) in the respective countries are particularly recognised for the continued support towards the implementation of fisheries surveys on lakes Edward and Albert. The media are also appreciated for their publicity role and professional services that created mass awareness and promotion of the 2018 Frame Survey (FS) exercise resulting into the successful CAS implementation. The various hotels are thanked for the conference facilities and catering services that enabled the successful conduct of CAS national planning, training, and validation workshops. Lastly, the technical and administrative staff of NaFIRRI and SENADEP are sincerely appreciated for the various contributions (planning, coordination, and implementation) made towards the successful implementation of the 2019 CAS. Monitoring fish stocks in relation to species composition, abundance, distribution, catch, and fishing effort is required for sound management of the fisheries resources. Catch Assessment Surveys (CASs) in particular are important tools for monitoring trends in the fish catches and exploitation patterns to inform development planning and management decisions. Catch Assessment Surveys on lakes Albert and Edward have been characterized with inconsistences due to inadequate financial and logistical support. The available information on the size of fish populations, fishing effort and the level of fishing pressure that the fisheries can support on these lakes is limited and yet these data are essential for effective management of the fisheries resources. 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 2019 CASs on the two systems (Edward and Albert) were supported by the Nile Basin Initiative / Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) under the Multinational Lakes Edward and Albert Integrated Fisheries and Water Resources Management (LEAF II) Project. The NELSAP Coordination Unit (NELSAP-CU) signed service contracts with the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) in Uganda and the National Service for the Promotion and Development of Fisheries (SENADEP) of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), conduct CASs on the sections of lakes Edward and Albert. The CASs were carried out at 56 landing sites (41 on Albert and 15 on Edward) between July and August 2019. In DRC, 29 landing sites were sampled (19 on Albert and 10 on Edward) while in Uganda 27 landing sites were sampled (22 on Albert and 5 on Edward). A total of 141 CAS enumerators (87 DRC; 54 Uganda) were recruited from selected CAS landing sites on the two water systems and were trained in CAS field sampling protocols. The enumerators were provided with CAS logistics and they undertook the actual field data collection under the direct supervision of Sub-County/District (Uganda) and Province (DRC) Fisheries Officers (FOs), with the overall coordination provided by NaFIRRI/DiFR (Uganda) and SENADEP (DRC). The CASs were implemented following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) agreed upon and harmonized by the two countries sharing both lakes. Capacity building of enumerators selected from the fishing communities and their participation in fisheries data collection is considered one of the avenues for sustainable data collection. This report presents key findings of the CASs conducted in the waters of lakes Edward and Albert of the respective countries. For Lake Edward, the annual total of 32,092.8 tons (29,347.2 tons (91.4%) DRC; 2,744 tons (8.6%) Uganda) of fish was estimated. In DRC, the catch was dominated byTilapia spp 10,881.6 tons, 36.7%), followed by Bagrus spp (9,584.4 tons, 32.3%) and Haplochromis spp (3,135 tons, 11.6%) while in Uganda, Bagrus docmak (919.3 tons, 33%) dominated, followed by Protopterus aethiopicus (489.2 tons, 18%) and Tilapia spp (463.1 tons, 18%). The 32,092.8 tons of fish from Lake Edward generated an annual revenue of USD 62,702.7, dominated by DRC (USD 57,216.7; 91.3%) and Uganda (USD 5.4; 8.75%). Lake Albert on the other hand recorded a total annual catch of 31,384.8 tons (3.428.5 tons (10.9%) DRC; 27,956.3 tons (89.1%) Uganda) with Lates spp contributing 22.8 % of the annual catch on the DRC side, followed by Synodontis spp (12.8%) and Tilapia spp (9.1 %). In Uganda, Engraulicypris bredoi and Brycinus nurse contributed 56.2% of the annual catch. The total annual catch was valued at USD 278,513.5 at beach value with DRC contributing (USD 70,673.5; 25.4 %) and Uganda (USD 207,840; 74.62 %) to the annual gross revenue. The results indicated an improvement in catches on lakes Edward and Albert. Although this is the first time since 1987 when FAO conducted such studies on the DRC side of these lakes, the CASs revealed an increase in production which could be explained by improved patrolling and enforcement of fisheries regulations and this has to some extent aided the recovery of fish species. Similarly, in Uganda, the improvement in catches on Lake Edward is attributed to the improved enforcement of the fisheries regulations by the Fish Protection Unit (FPU), an enforcement arm of the Uganda Peoples Defence Force (UPDF) instituted by H.E. the President of the Republic of Uganda to curb illegal fishing practices on the major lakes in the country. However, the observations on the Ugandan waters of Lake Albert should be treated with caution as majority of the catch was harvested and landed in the illegal destructive gears which not only provides short term benefits, but also severely compromises the sustainability of the Lake fisheries. Management efforts should therefore be directed towards total removal of illegal fishing effort from the commercial fisheries of Lake Albert. The results also showed that the economic importance of the large sized species, particularly Nile perch annual beach revenue far superseded that of the dominant small pelagic; E. bredoi and B. nurse on the Uganda portion of Lake Albert. There is urgent call for concerted efforts to protect the large bodied fish species from illegal practices such