|
OceanDocs >
Africa >
African Marine Science - Oceanography - Fishery >
Miscellaneous >
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/1834/455
|
| Title: | The Mangrove Fishes in the Benin Estuarine System (Benin,West Africa) : Diversity, Degradation And Management Implications |
| Authors: | Adite, A. |
| ASFA Terms: | Mangroves
Conservation
Dams |
| Issue Date: | 2002 |
| Abstract: | A preliminary study of the mangrove fishes was undertaken from March 2000 to September 2001 in the
Benin estuarine lagoon system in connected to the Mono river; a dam was constructed on this river to
provide the Togo and Benin countries with electricity. The research aims to investigate fish species diversity
and ecosystem degradation impacts in order to protect and to improve the mangrove fish resources. Specific
objectives were (1) to investigate fish assemblages and distribution in the mangrove/estuarine habitat; (2) to
investigate relationships between environment features and biological attributes; (3) to evaluate the
estuarine ecosystem degradation, with regard to mangrove destruction and recent evolution of the Mono
river caused by a dam construction, and impacts on fish population (4) to survey socioeconomic aspects of
resources exploitation and (5) to initiate a resource management / conservation plan in participatory
approaches. Preliminary results from wet and dry season samplings in the four habitat categories, mangrove
fringe, adjacent open water, adjacent marginal vegetation and channel are as follow:
The two dominant species of mangroves, Rizophora racemosa and Avicennia africana, are being intensively
degraded for domestic use such as firewood. The fish assemblages was dominated by the detritivores
(39.4%) and planktinovores/microcarnivores (45.6%). Overall, 51 fish species belonging to 26 families were
collected. Cichlidae (5 species), Eleotridae (7 species), Mugilidae (5 species) were the most speciose
families. Six (6) species, Sarotherodon melanotheron (Cichlidae), Kribia nana (Eleotridae), Gerres
melanopterus (Gerreidae), Hemichromis fasciatus (Cichlidae), Ethmalosa fimbriata (Clupeidae),
Aplocheilichthys spilauch en (Cyprinotontidae), dominated the sample and account for about 80%.
Sarotherodon melanotheron constituted the major dominant species and account numerically for about 29%
of the total catches and 46.7% of the total biomass. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/455 |
| Appears in Collections: | Miscellaneous
|
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
|
