Abstract
We present the findings of a participatory experiment on integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems (Fingerponds) at the Lake Victoria wetlands, Kenya. Fingerponds are flood-based lacustrine or floodplain wetland fishponds. The aim of the study was to explore, within a wetland/floodplain interface environment, the potential of semi-intensive fish production to enhance the wetland fishery and protect the natural ecosystem from wide-scale, destructive encroachment. The ponds were stocked naturally by flood water. After flood recession, livestock manure was added to the ponds and the effects of manuring on water and sediment quality and fish yields were studied. Manuring had positive effects on the nitrogen, phosphorous and chlorophyll a concentrations of the pond water. Regression analysis results indicated that site, manuring and environmental and climatic variables explained 58–70% of the variation in dissolved nitrogen and phosphorous, and 71% of the variation in chorophyll a. Manuring enhanced the total phosphorus concentration in the sediment but it only had marginal effects on total nitrogen. Although the net fish yields were highly variable between sites and seasons, ranging from 402 to 1069 kg ha−1, the data showed that manuring was advantageous. The duration of the culture period, site variability and manuring explained 82% of the variation in fish yields. We conclude that Fingerponds fertilized with livestock manure from abutting riparian subsistence agriculture can improve fish production, enhance food diversity and security and contribute to more efficient use of papyrus wetlands for food production. This in turn may reduce large-scale conversion of wetlands to agriculture.
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Acknowledgments
This work was part of PhD and MSc theses of the first and second author, respectively. The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support from the European Union Fingerponds project Contract no. ICA4-CT-2001-10037. Additional funding for fieldwork was provided by the International Foundation for Science, Stockholm, Sweden and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency Department for Natural Resources and the Environment (Sida NATUR), STOCKHOLM, Sweden, through grant no. W/3427-1 to Dr. J. Kipkemboi. We appreciate the assistance from the Fingerponds Project research team and the local communities at the respective study sites. We would also like to express our gratitude to Mr. Julius Manyala of Moi University Fisheries Department for assisting in fish identification.
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Kipkemboi, J., Kilonzi, C.M., van Dam, A.A. et al. Enhancing the fish production potential of Lake Victoria papyrus wetlands, Kenya, using seasonal flood-dependent ponds. Wetlands Ecol Manage 18, 471–483 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-010-9180-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-010-9180-4