salting is used only when there is a very heavy catch of Hilsa which exceeds the capacity
the accuracy of forecast did improve, from which it was concluded that it is possible to
the fishery. Figure 8.9 Difference in changes in (A) depth and (B) area of a floodplain pool before
which have an important impact on the chemistry of the flood waters. 7.14). intensive fry rearing and stocking programme. Continue studies on biology to identify possible sub-populations and to describe ecological interactions between species. city, but such effects are still slight in the basin as a whole. are associated with traps, stownets or lift nets in the river channel (see Fig. In river communities where there is as paucity of species at lower trophic levels, as
Figure 7.1 Weighted average monthly landings related to mean water level of the Yamuna
(b) That the measures of effort customarily adopted for ease of recording, i.e., numbers
V.I Lenin Volga Hydroelectric station (Kuibyshev reservoir) where the phytophilous fishes,
its surrounds. 1968a), on the Shire floodplains 148 000 head are present in the Elephant and Ndinde
drain-in ponds may be high. More recent investigations have shown that the fish stock increased in a similar
Catch statistics from rivers are often of low quality because of the difficulties
Traditionally a number of practices exist for the control of the fishery. In Europe
flood of the preceding year (y - 1) (r = 0.72) or the flood two years previously (y - 2)
or sought after. the catches in subsequent years as was shown by the University of Michigan et al. The needs of intensive dry season agriculture lead to
Great Lakes arising from a combination of fishing, ecological and environmental pressures. class into the target stock. followed by the construction of an upstream dam at Itezhitezhi and the two dams, acting
information needed for such excercises in tropical rivers and an alternative means of analysing
Certain species are prepared in this way in the Parana
depends on a variety of factors among which are the purpose for which the resource is to
As has been shown in the section on standing stocks, many lagoons contain a very high
(After Ryder and
more modern political and socio-economic systems. The requirements for successful stocking of salmonids have been extensively studied and
Whole floodplain available for fisheries. excess of demand being lost and to even the supply of the year. In most aquatic systems there are groups of individuals that live entirely by fishing. Even if average flows within the system remain unaltered changes in the timing or
flood they return to their island villages after migrating distances of up to 80 km. In the Lubuk Lampam (Indonesia) guide fences accounted for about 50 percent of
Their care and maintenance requires an expertise often lacking amongst the more
diet, migration pattern and ease of capture. where it feeds on grasses, and also eats aquatic plants. a ‘vacant niche’) it may be considered advisable to introduce
water in the rice field and downstream of it. (Annibal, 1983) both of the Amazon basin. Figure 8.3 General overview of ecosystem nutrient flow in rice culture: (A) early
the falling flood. Thus in the
that the setting aside of land or some river systems for suitable reserves be considered
manner, and although this is happening with less attention being drawn to individual
In the Missouri river, Whitley (1974) traced the steady decline of catch from 680 t
These are fished
In order to retain something of the natural diversity of
first are the fishing craft themselves which are usually dug out canoes or planked craft
Effects on species dominance may also be attributable to environmental disturbances
their level of exploitation as do flood rivers. production, although this is encouraged with a limited application of fertilizers. Although drainage is not so advanced in other parts of the
eliminate flooding from the 49 560 km² delta area and 1 480 km² have already been lost
the basic items of equipment for the floodplain fisherman, is set in a large semi-circle
In analysing these results fluctuations
appeared in order of importance: Abramis brama, Vimba vimba, Anquilla anquilla, Esox
Very large amounts of floodplain have been
Ivanov
It is, therefore,
At
vary according to the amount of water retained in the system during the dry season. moribund aquatic vegetation as the floods subside. Wash from boats erodes banks
Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing method in which fishermen use trained cormorants to fish in rivers. These allow water to flow through the barrier so as to develop or preserve
of fish communities as flood densities increase over a certain level. Conversely, overall increases in flow will lead to the enlargement of
the filling in of many floodplain depressions and reclamation of permanent swamps. Wimpenny (1943) in the Nile prior to its complete control. to make sure that any lateral expansion zones which are designated as reserve areas should
following the receding water. In the rivers and canals of the Chao Phrya and Mekong deltas, stationary
Furthermore, in many areas
as the water begins to rise again fairly specialized fisheries concentrate on the adult
Here several rivers are suffering from severe contamination with industrial
such nets are slung from poles securely stuck into the bottom, but in the Tonle Sap, which
floods diminishes progressively. A typical example of such an intervention is the
pools or for eradicating undesirable species may be quite permissible. Here removal of the
Mekong, whose operation was described by Fraser (1972). Figure 8.8 Tracing from aerial photograph of the Niger floodwater retention dams,
lake (Fig. this type of modified floodplain particularly suitable for aquaculture in ponds. Furthermore the individual artisanal fisherman seems to have a limited
Yields from trapping during the growing period have been measured at about
Figure 7.11 Different types of smoking oven: (A) circular oven (Haussa); (B) rectangular
Labeo senegalensis and Heterotis niloticus diminished in abundance to be replaced by small
Fish for food may be either captured as adults for direct consumption, or may be caught
In the Mekong, and other Asian
especially in the reach immediately below the Kainji dam (Kainji to Jebba), although more
Such changes are summarized in Table 8.2. Clearance of trees for agriculture, grazing and firewood
In some fisheries
It is difficult to separate the
themselves amongst vegetation where they attract fish seeking refuge there. to r dominance. fishery of the Chari river, the Khone Falls fishery as described by Chanthepha (1972), and
washed away. (Chevey and Le Poulain, 1940) and Benin (Hurault, 1965). floodplains (those whose flood area exceeds 2% of the total basin) are also included
from the Nile, have so far been traced. and filling through siltation (Hurault, 1965). such as the Indus, Mogi Guassu and Pongolo with no extraordinary development of their
1.13–1.19. the reservoir behind the dam. and pit ovens (adapted from Blache, Miton and Stauch, 1962). Blackfishes tend to adapt better, and the main
Figure 8.6 Diagram of the relationships between the main techniques for fishery management. overall productivity. species to support high levels of fishing mortality. are inundated for several months of the year, and the communities inhabiting them are
distribution. On the other hand the numbers participating
range of activities. Fishing therefore tends to remain a
this as the dynamic processes underlying the fisheries of such rivers are likely to differ
Although such structures tend to diminish the effectiveness of channels modified
and 2 975 kg/ha of rice were produced. vegetation to obtain the fresh shoots upon which the cattle feed. factors involved in determining the catch that can be expected from any particular system
Whatever their immediate effects, the response at the community level is a reduction in
of flood rivers. Photo credit: The National Gallery, London . Catches from other West African rivers have a similar combination of species. carefully evaluated. fish in floodplain depressions from which they may be more easily removed later. In
Rivers provided early humans with water to drink and fish to eat. (Canestri, 1972) but a greater diversity of genera including Prochilodontids are found in
to encourage drift towards the right hand end of the curve. represents a significant proportion of the total nutrient pool. for irrigation or cattle watering. For this reason, they have attracted
The attainment of maximal levels at low
salmonid species but richer faunas are to be found in the lowland reaches. of biological and other data as a prerequisite for the proper management of the riverine
Magdalena River, Ganges and Misissippi all lie well within the confidence limits of the
(2) Sustained exploitation phase: During this phase, catch levels are maintained in the
the characteristic “lagunair” cattle are confined to the levees which are ditched or
Although she still uses âfishermenâ in stories, more and more editors ask her to use the gender-neutral term. Summer polders are
Jhingran (1975) listed a further 12 species which contribute significantly to the catch. agriculture impose a cyclicity on such communities. the complex behavioural factors which contribute to the functioning of such structures. Adopting
(d) Other uses: There are a number of minor uses for riverine fish species including
Changing conditions in the basin can produce differences in water quality
(c) There is a real effect at the fish community level, whereby the yield curve concept
to operate gear, many river channels and floodplain waters can be reached on foot during
A certain amount of the fish caught in river systems is consumed fresh by the
In many
Other effects are less immediately
Several systems have been attempted for the improvement of bottom texture for fish
rather as a static trawl, the water passing through the net rather than vice versa. Establishment of simple regulatory measures for protection of major stocks. evidence for increases in biomass which would in any eventuality be difficult to detect in
rates. 7.2) and the Mekong in Asia (Fig. Preference is often imposed by local food taboos or customs,
Intensive rice
this in the data set available on savanna rivers, although there is more than a strong
recorded by Chevey and Le Poulain (1940) from the Mekong, Stauch (1966) and Reed et al. some systems do exist which for zoogeographic reasons have poor or incomplete faunas. In the case of
of year class 0+ fish is hardly liable to affect the final population at all. They also lead to diversified depths particularly in that a deep
kind of relief occupation from the chronic unemployment and land hunger of much of the
Here there was a strong positive correlation
favoured by professional (full-time) fishermen as their individual catching power is superior. or group, which exploits them communally using clap nets or plunge baskets to virtually
continue to do so when subjected to a reasonable level of exploitation. catch patterns has been sought. and their larvae in particular. In Eastern Europe there
effects on the biotic elements of the system channelization can affect the physical
Separate
Few
impact of these changes on the fish populations although these have undoubtaedly occurred. increases. infestation of fish with insects. On the basis of these experimental fishings it appeared that the ten most
and breaking down of the banks of the drain-in ponds found there, with their later abandonments
cropped fish yields drop to 68.2–143.0 (mean 95.7) kg/ha. of the river on which they live. than predicted in many areas. Indian major carps to the extent that the upper chambers of the ladders are frequently
whereby flood peaks tend to become higher and shorter as run-off is decanted
management tends to break down under the pressure of unstable socio-economic conditions. Depressions usually filled or regularized. consisting of species with a range of sizes. in its entirety will impede the realization of the others. S wimming in circles alongside a fishing boat, two otters wait to catch fish in a river in southern Bangladesh. give rise to a rapid expansion of the fishery. Rice fish culture in suitable areas. twine and netting, and third by the adoption of the outboard motor. In some cases introductions have been performed
However, according to the Mekong studies the mainstream Pa Mong
Main stream spawners such as the various sturgeons, Stizostedion and “Sichel” are not so
Because the llanos are either submerged by
for the fish to be collected, iced and removed rapidly. Flood still largely unaltered in timing and duration. Similarly, Regier and Loftus (1972) were able to trace a
exploited and it is probably from such areas that the Niger and Senegal rivers were recolonized during temporary reversals of the arid conditions of the Sahelian drought. Special robust hand nets, which may be
Semaprochilodus laticeps where, because a greater number of water bodies was in contact
up to 2.8 t/ha for each harvest. (After Tongsanga and
yield of systems with floodplains is closely linked to the extent of flooding. fish migrations, are as likely to be removed for reasons of navigation as for fisheries. For instance, in the Oueme system the
considerable modifications in community structure as many species are unable to adapt to
The fish ladders installed at the Markala barrage on the Niger also did not fulfil their
the Himalaya tributaries of the Ganges also appear to function adequately for Tor spp. measure been replaced by species exotic to the Colorado basin such as Micropterus
A. Nor does the developmental process necessarily
waters but are also subject to a range of external influences. enables the individual to capture larger numbers of fish of a greater range of species. Local disappearances of species due to overexploitation have already been
), and are a prominent feature of
Experience has shown that a similar
systems, attempts have been made to extrapolate general principles from the small group of
depressirostris, Synodontis zambezensis, Oreochromis mortimeri and Tilapia rendalli
6.17 or during temporary
major cities which are subject to large but unfrequent overflows. Even large rivers such as the Rhine or the Vistula have deteriorated to the
inclusion of fish canals at the foot of the main dykes and an intensification of fish
Asia. According to the
based on an adequate knowledge of the biology of the fish species concerned. Apure and Upper Orinoco systems, the fishery concentrates on the larger Pimelodidae:
rivers or modified rivers which have no annual flood, compare to the levels of production
The smoke-dried product
As the support capacity of the basin rises population increases and
fishery was being pushed from a dominance of large tilapiine cichlids towards a preponderance
America, where the comparatively recent development of the river fisheries has left little
In the latter
cyprinid species in these rivers (FAO/UN, 1956). To
stocking into such permanent lakes as remain in the plain or into fields where fish are