Multi‐mesh gillnets to estimate species composition and catch per unit effort of fish in a small water body in Zambia

Abstract

A standard method comprising multi‐mesh monofilament nylon gillnets and depth stratification, the Drottningholm method, was employed in test fishing of a small Zambian reservoir (32 ha) on eight occasions over 1 year. The catch per unit effort (cpue) from the 0–3 and 3–6 m zone was timated with benthic and pelagic nets, while in the 6–12 m zone only benthic nets were used. Results include species caught and cpue with coefficients of variation and confidence intervals, for net types and depth zones. A total of 11 species were caught, of which Burbus paludinosus, B. marequensis, Laheo cylindricus, and Oreochromis sp. dominated. Coefficients of variation did not indicate a preferable season for test fishing. During the cold season some species were not caught. The applicability of the method in estimation of species composition and cpue is discussed.