Abstract
Lake Kainji (surface area, 1270 km 2) is the largest hydroelectric power man-made lake in Nigeria. In this study, two fleets (eight nets per fleet) of passive-graded experimental gill net (mesh size 3.81–17.78 cm) of equal surface area were used in catching fish simultaneously from the surface open water (one fleet) and the shore (one fleet) of Lake Kainji for a period of 12 months. The relationship between total fish catch and the parameters (lunar periods, net orientation, water transparency, net mesh size and habitat) was tested using multiple regression. The multiple regression analysis showed that all the parameters had a significant effect on total fish catch ( R 2=0.21). Total fish catch in both surface and shore sets was higher at water transparency of less than 1.0 m. The parallel-oriented set of the surface fleet caught more fish than the perpendicular set. Total average fish catch (catch per unit effort (CPUE), number and weight) from the shore set was greater than the surface set, but bigger fish were caught in the surface fleet than in the shore. Bigger fish were caught 4-2 days to full moon and at full moon in the surface fleet, but only 2–4 days after full moon in the shore fleet. The contribution of these findings to commercial fishing and rational exploitation of the lake fishery is discussed.
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