Fishes and fisheries of the Bangweulu Wetlands and Lavushi Manda National Park Carl F. Huchzermeyer Research team: Dr Olaf L. F. Weyl- Principal researcher Dr Roger I. Bills- Researcher Carl F. Huchzermeyer- Student researcher South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity Private Bag 1015 Grahamstown 6140 www.saiab.ac.za 1 Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... ii Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Live fast, die young: a fish’s life in Bangweulu… ............................................................................. 2 Map of the study area in Bangweulu Wetlands and Lavushi Manda National Park ............................. 5 Chapter 1: The Area........................................................................................................................... 6 Aquatic Habitats ............................................................................................................................ 6 #1: Lukulu River- rocky upper reaches ........................................................................................ 6 #2: Lukulu River- middle reaches ............................................................................................... 7 #3: Lukulu River- lower reaches ................................................................................................. 8 #4: Lukulu Delta ......................................................................................................................... 8 #5: Floodplains- woodland pools ................................................................................................ 9 #6: Floodplains- swamp margins .............................................................................................. 10 #7: Swamp ............................................................................................................................... 11 #8: Lulimala Stream ................................................................................................................. 12 #9: Dambos and dambo pools .................................................................................................. 13 Seasonality, flooding cycle and the effects on fish........................................................................ 13 The role of wildlife ....................................................................................................................... 15 Fish refuges ................................................................................................................................. 18 Chapter 2: The Fishery ..................................................................................................................... 19 The fishing life ............................................................................................................................. 19 Note on fish processing and trade ............................................................................................... 25 The traditional fishing authority................................................................................................... 30 Fishing methods and gears used in Bangweulu Wetlands ............................................................. 32 Fish weirs (amaamba).............................................................................................................. 32 Basket traps (umono) ............................................................................................................... 36 Mosquito net ‘sock nets’ (sola) ................................................................................................ 38 Gill nets (umsumbu) ................................................................................................................. 43 Hooks and longlines (iindobane) .............................................................................................. 47 Seine nets (mukwawo) ............................................................................................................. 50 Spearing (uChilambo and ukusopa) .......................................................................................... 54 Poison (Piscicide) ..................................................................................................................... 55 2 Drag baskets (ulwanga) ........................................................................................................... 56 Digging .................................................................................................................................... 56 Changes in the fishery in the period 1940’s- 2000’s. .................................................................... 57 New fishing gears and trends (2012 season) ................................................................................ 58 Gears used in the context of fish sustainability ............................................................................ 60 Fishing and tourism ..................................................................................................................... 62 Table 1: The fishing calendar ....................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 3: Fishes ............................................................................................................................. 64 Family Mormyridae (Mormyrids/Elephant-snout fishes) .............................................................. 65 Mormyrus sp.- ‘mbubu’, Western Bottlenose/Bottle Fish ........................................................ 65 Cyphomyrus discorhynchus- ‘Icimpumwe’, Zambezi parrotfish ................................................. 66 Marcusenius macrolepidotus- ‘Mintesa’, Bulldog ..................................................................... 67 Petrocephalus sp.- ‘Icele’, Churchill .......................................................................................... 69 Pollimyrus cf. isidori/castelnaui- ‘Ishimba’ Dwarf Stonebasher ................................................. 70 Family Cyprinidae (Cyprinids) ....................................................................................................... 71 Barbus neefi- Sidespot barb ..................................................................................................... 71 Barbus bifrenatus- Hyphen barb .............................................................................................. 72 Barbus brevidorsalis- Dwarf barb ............................................................................................. 72 Barbus fasciolatus- Red barb .................................................................................................... 73 Barbus radiatus- Beira barb ..................................................................................................... 73 Barbus haasianus-Sickle-fin barb ............................................................................................. 74 Barbus trimaculatus- ‘Mushipa’, Threespot barb ...................................................................... 75 Barbus eutaenia- Orangefin barb ............................................................................................. 76 Barbus multilineatus- Copperstripe barb .................................................................................. 77 Barbus afrovernayi- Spottail barb............................................................................................. 77 Barbus paludinosus- ‘Misenga’, Straightfin barb ....................................................................... 78 Barbus kerstenii- Redspot barb ................................................................................................ 79 Labeobarbus sp.- Yellowfish (South African name for the genus) ............................................. 80 Labeo cf. cylindricus- Redeye Labeo ......................................................................................... 81 Family Distichodontidae (Citharines) ........................................................................................... 82 Hemmigramocharax multifasciatus- Multibar citharine ........................................................... 82 Family Characidae (Characids) ..................................................................................................... 83 Brycinus peringueyi- Dwarf tigerfish ......................................................................................... 83 Micralestes sardina- Redeye robber ......................................................................................... 84 3 Rhabdalestes rhodesiensis- ‘Itala’, Slender robber.................................................................... 84 Hydrocynus vittatus- ‘Manda’, Tigerfish ................................................................................... 85 Suborder Siluroidei (Catfishes) ..................................................................................................... 86 Family Amphiliidae (Mountain catfishes) ..................................................................................... 86 Zaireichthys sp.- Sand catlet ....................................................................................................