The present status of the hook fishery and its impact on the fish stocks of Lake Victoria

Abstract

Surveys on the hook fishery of Lake Victoria revealed that long lines are the most important gear used for catching Nile perch. Hand lines and hook and line are used to catch Nile tilapia and also Nile perch. Hooks are increasing because of their cheapness. They now total about 12 million lake-wide. Hooks are preferentially baited with live bait; they select the catch according to their sizes and bait type. Big range of fish sizes is caught. Hooks tend to reduce the size of the brood stock made up of big perch that carry millions of eggs. The use of live bait suppresses the recovery of resurging species with an adverse impact on the lake’s biodiversity. Use of the recommended hook sizes 4-9 should be enforced and overcapacity reduced for sustenance of the fish stocks. The farming of bait fish should be encouraged for standardisation of bait size to target the right size of the catch and spare the recovering species.

Key words: hook fishery management, fish stocks, biodiversity, bait fish farming