Abstract
Sustainable management of fisheries has proven to be a daunting exercise for Lake Victoria. Exploitation patterns in the fishery are driven by fishers who adopt different strategies as a response to changing economic, management, socio-economic, and resource conditions. Fisheries managers, however, seldom consider these changes in management policies. The aim of the study, therefore, was to evaluate the adaptation strategies of the Nile perch gillnet fishers on Lake Victoria in Uganda using 8-year catch and effort data collected in the period from 2005 to 2015. Trends of the selected effort and catch variables in the study period identified two adaptive fishing strategies by gillnet fishers on the lake. The first group, the paddled fishermen whose gillnet use varied in the first half of the study, diverted to harvesting juvenile Nile perch by using smaller, mesh sizes, monofilament nets and gillnets of less depth in the second half of the study. Motorized fishers, on the other hand, maintained their mesh size, using multifilament gillnets, however, they increased the depth of their nets in the second half of the study period to maintain their targeted fish size. Fishers on Lake Victoria adapted strategies to cope with their constraints and opportunities based on the Nile perch population structure and their economic needs. It is important for fishery managers to consider that the fishers are an integral part of the fisheries ecosystems, and considering their behavior in management decisions will aid in devising adaptive policies for sustainable resource use and sustainable livelihood development of the fishers’ communities.
Highlights
The aim of the paper was to evaluate the adaptative strategies of the Nile perch gillnet fishers and operators using 8-year catch and effort data collected in the period 2005 to 2015
The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO) monitors catch rates through periodic frame surveys when a census is made of the number of fishers, and the number, size, and propulsion mode of vessels and gear used
Motorized vessels predominantly targeted Nile perch (>80%) throughout the study period, the proportion of motorized dagaa vessels increased from 6% to 18% over the period 2010 to 2014 (Figure 3b)
Summary
Sustainable management of fisheries has proven to be a daunting exercise for most African inland water fisheries which are largely small-scale (SSF), employing about 12% of world fishers and playing a crucial role as a source of livelihoods, food security, and income for millions of people and national economies [1]. To enable sustainable management of SSF, international legal and policy frameworks There were about 65,000 fishers, 16,745 boat owners (12% female), and many others involved in fisheries on the lake through trading, processing, transportation, and provision of fishing inputs and regulation [20]. Fishing vessels are locally made and operated using paddles (17,164), outboard engines (10,057), or sails (856). Nile perch is processed as chilled and frozen products to Europe, the Far
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