Evaluation of Fisheries Catch Trend on Lake Kainji, in Nigeria, 1995-2001

The highlights of the analysis of fisheries data collected between 1995 and 2001 for the purpose of monitoring and evaluating the Kainji Lake fishery in Nigeria was presented. There was a downward trend in the total number of Fishermen, gear recorded for all fishing methods and annual fish yield between 1995 and 2001. The annual fish yield reached 32,474 metric tones in 1995 and declined to 13,361 metric tones in 2001. For an optimum catch, only 1,905 Fishermen ought to have been engaged in full time fishing activities if, Kainji Lake fisheries is to be managed on a sustainable basis. However, the results further revealed that a surplus of over 2,200 Fishermen were still recorded actively fishing in 2001 despite the interjected management measures of licensing and banning the use of beach seine on the Lake. This has led to a decline in daily catches of Fishermen, which invariably caused a reduction in the total annual fish yield by 58% during the seven years sampling period. @JASEM