Species Composition and Some Observations on the Littoral Fishes Based on Beach-Seining in the Kigoma Region, Eastern Coast of Lake Tanganyika

Abstract

Fishes in the inshore waters of Lake Tanganyika were sampled in the Kigoma Region between June 1984 and May 1988, using a beach-seine. This study collected 78 fish species in 14 different families. Cichlids made up 55.1% of the identified species. All but 12 of these species were identified in the previous collections at Karago, Mkuyu and Myako by Japanese researchers. Therefore, from the combined collections, 132 species of fish (19 fluviatile, 75 littoral, 24 benthic, 8 pelagic and 6 bathypelagic) have been identified in the Kigoma Region of Lake Tanganyika. Catches were mainly dominated by `Masembe'-Juvenile cichlids, `Kungura'-Limnotilapia dardennei, `Vitumbi mbaraga'- Varicorhinus leleupanus, `Kuhe'- Boulengerochromis microlepis and `Ngege'- Sarotheradon tanganicae, which altogether accounted for 88% by number and 70.4% by weight of the fish caught. Both the number of species and abundance were higher in Area 2 than in Areas 1 and 3. This distribution is considered to reflect faunal richness rather than beach-seine efficiency in the areas. Both the efficiency of beach-seining in the inshore area and the need for protection and conservation of juvenile fishes in the nursery grounds are discussed.