Fishing methods, catches composition and exploited biomass in the Aby lagoon (Adiaké, Côte d’Ivoire)

Abstract

Ivorian lagoon water bodies contribute to the fight against food insecurity through fisheries. They provide fresh and competitive products to the local population. Thereby, strategies for their rational and sustainable exploitation must be put in place. This study aimed at contributing to the improvement of fishing activities in the Aby lagoon. It is the result of three months of surveys (from January to March 2020) with the fishermen and the fisheries administration. It appears that fishing is practiced by indigenous peoples. The most represented were aged over 45 years old (71.30%). Gillnets (65.59%) and nailed plank canoes (67%) were the most used. However, Aly nets (5.63% of fishing gears types) remain the most productive providing 80% of catches. The main fish species recorded were Ethmalosa fimbriata (Clupeidae), Elops lacerta (Elopidae) and Sarotherodon melanotheron (Cichlidae). However, the effective management of the water body still remains a major concern. Indeed, constraints were mainly: the non-submission of individual fishermen to the fisheries administration, the struggle for space reserved for fishing between individual and collective fishermen, the use of non-selective gears such as the Aly net. Thus, it seems necessary to train and sensitize the actors on the concept of sustainable development and to apply the management rules for a rational exploitation of this fishery.