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Limnological variability and pelagic fish abundance (Stolothrissa tanganicae and Lates stappersii) in Lake Tanganyika

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Abstract

The abundance of two main pelagic fish species in Lake Tanganyika (Stolothrissa tanganicae and Lates stappersii) has always been observed to fluctuate considerably at different time scales. The inverse correlation between the abundance of these species has often been interpreted as the consequence of predator−prey relations (avoidance behaviour by the prey). However, currently the two species often appear spatially segregated in the lake, S. tanganicae dominating in the north while L. stappersii is generally abundant in the south where it feeds mostly on shrimps. A fluctuating abundance of the species is nevertheless observed. As these fish species have a major importance for the fisheries, we investigated the limnological variability in relation to the short-term variability of fish catches. The abundance of S. tanganicae was positively correlated to plankton biomass (r = 0.65), while water transparency (r = 0.56), depth of mixed layer (r = −0.70) and oxygenated water appeared important drivers for the abundance of L. stappersii. Alternating “mixing” and “stable” states of the epilimnion related to seasonal and internal waves variability are probably determinant for the short-term variability in abundance of S. tanganicae and L. stappersii. In the framework of this study, remote sensing has shown a potentially interesting application for fisheries research at Lake Tanganyika. We observed a close correspondence between phytoplankton blooms at the time of trade winds changes and increased catches of S. tanganicae in the south. The anti-correlated abundance of S. tanganicae and L. stappersii probably mainly reflects the underlying fluctuating limnological environment. Fisheries studies need to integrate limnological and planktonic monitoring to better understand large and complex ecosystems such as Lake Tanganyika.

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Notes

  1. A third species was also occasionally caught by pelagic fishermen: Limnothrissa miodon. This species is common in the south but represents a small percentage of the weight of catches (7%) and is only partially pelagic (Poll, 1953; Mannini et al., 1996).

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Federal Science Policy, Belgium (BELSPO) in the framework of A STEREO/CLIMFISH project (“Climate change impact on the sustainable use of Lake Tanganyika fisheries”). Many thanks to C. Petit, J. Vandenabeele, K. Ruddick, H. Gonz and J.-C. Micha for their suggestions during this project. The Belgian Development Cooperation financed the monitoring at Lake Tanganyika through a framework agreement with the Royal Museum for Central Africa (in Tervuren). We greatly appreciated the support of G. Gryseels, and the help of M. De Scheemaecker. H. Hughes has contributed useful comments. We thank P. Bwathondi, B. Ngatunga, D. Chitamwebwa and staff at TAFIRI (Tanzanian Fisheries Research Institute). At the Department of Fisheries in Zambia (DOF), we particularly thank C. Kapasa, H. Phiri, D. Synienza and staff at Mpulungu for their involvement. A. Cohen, K. Lezzar, E. Michel, C. O’Reilly of the Nyanza project (University of Arizona) have provided appreciated collaboration. At Namur University, B. Leporcq, F. Darchambeau, S. Sténuite, V. Gosselain, Y. Mine and others have helped the project. Judy and John Wickens have provided an appreciated help. We thank J.-M. Beckers from the GHER-AGO (ULg) and his collaborators. We thank A. Azcarate and A. Barth from the Ocean Circulation Group (College of Marine Science, University of South Florida). Thanks to S. Loiselle (Università degli Studi di Siena) for useful comments. E. Deleersnijder is a Research Associate with the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium

    P.-D. Plisnier & L. André

  2. Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute, Kigoma, Tanzania

    H. Mgana, I. Kimirei & A. Chande

  3. Department of Fisheries, Mpulungu, Zambia

    L. Makasa, J. Chimanga & F. Zulu

  4. National Botanic Garden of Belgium, Meise, Belgium

    C. Cocquyt

  5. Unit of Geomatics, Department of Geography, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

    S. Horion & Y. Cornet

  6. Dip. di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche e dei Biosistemi, Università degli Studi di Siena, Siena, Italy

    N. Bergamino

  7. Geo-Hydrodynamics and Environmental Research, Astrophysique, Géophysique et Océanographie, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

    J. Naithani

  8. School of Engineering, Centre For Systems Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    E. Deleersnijder

  9. Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, Namur, Belgium

    J.-P. Descy

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  1. P.-D. Plisnier
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  2. H. Mgana
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Plisnier, PD., Mgana, H., Kimirei, I. et al. Limnological variability and pelagic fish abundance (Stolothrissa tanganicae and Lates stappersii) in Lake Tanganyika. Hydrobiologia 625, 117–134 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-9701-4

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