A histological description of ovarian recrudescence in two Labeo victorianus populations
- Authors: Booth, Anthony J , Hecht, Thomas
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/123564 , vital:35455 , https://doi.org/10.2989/16085910409503813
- Description: The ovaries of Labeo victorianus are paired organs situated in the peritoneal cavity and suspended on either side of the midline by a mesovarium. A capsule, composed of dense, regularly-arranged collagen and elastic fibres mixed with a few smooth muscle cells, enclosed the ovaries and gave off connective tissue septa, forming the ovigerous lamellae, which contained germ and follicle cells. Eight discrete stages of recrudescence were identified: oogonia, chromatin nucleolar oocytes, perinucleolar oocytes, primary yolk vesicle oocytes, secondary yolk vesicle oocytes, tertiary yolk vesicle oocytes, post-ovulatory follicles and atretic oocytes. Ovulation seemed to be synchronised with the onset of rainfall, with some deviations in the Sio River population. Gonadosomatic index variation followed a bimodal pattern, with maxima between January–February and between September–October for both populations. The same pattern was exhibited for both rainfall and water levels at the two study sites. Successful ovulation was followed by the formation of post-ovulatory follicles and Type I atresia, while failed spawning was characterised by Type II atresia. Clearance of post-ovulatory follicles was by phagocytosis and formation of melanomacrophage centres. There were variations in post-ovulatory changes between the two populations. Reproductive patterns in the Kagera River population conformed to the ‘norm’ in African labeines of the synchronisation of spawning with rainfall. Slight deviations from this pattern were, however, observed in the Sio River population where spawning occurred prior to the onset of rainfall.
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- Date Issued: 2010
Quantifying the annual fish harvest from South Africa’s largest freshwater reservoir
- Authors: Ellender, Bruce R , Weyl, Olaf L F , Winker, A Henning , Booth, Anthony J
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7149 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011852
- Description: South African inland fisheries are poorly developed and their contribution to near-shore communities is poorly understood. This study is the first comprehensive assessment of recreational and subsistence angling undertaken in an inland fishery in South Africa. The study was conducted on the 360 km2 Lake Gariep, South Africa’s largest freshwater reservoir. A total of 508 anglers were interviewed between February 2007 and January 2008. Of those interviewed, 67% were subsistence anglers and 33% recreational anglers. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) did not differ significantly between sectors. CPUE fluctuated seasonally, ranging between 0.37 (95% CI= 0.26 to 0.51) kg·angler-1·h-1 in winter and 0.88 (0.67 to 1.17) kg·angler- 1·h-1 in summer. The duration of a fishing day ranged from 5.99 (5.24 to 6.74) h in mid-winter to 7.26 (6.88 to 7.63) h in early summer. Expected end-of-day catch (CPUE × fishing-trip duration) ranged from 2.2 to 6.4 kg·angler-1·d-1 depending on the season. The number of anglers ranged from 22 (8 to 53) anglers·d-1 in June/July to 74 (25 to 176) anglers·d-1 in April. Total annual catch from the roving creel survey was estimated at 71.4 (57.4 to 91.4) t·yr-1. Another 7.5 t∙yr-1 were landed during recreational angling competitions. The resultant total catch divided by the lakeshore population equated to a per capita fish supply of 11.1 kg·yr-1. More than 70% of the catch was the alien invasive carp Cyprinus carpio and there was no evidence of overfishing. The fish resource of Lake Gariep is of significant recreational and subsistence value. As a result of the low fish price (ZAR5.72 ± 2.60·kg-1) subsistence fishing was considered a low-revenue activity that mainly augmented food security in lakeshore communities. The relatively high CPUE indicated that the fishery may be an important safety-net during periods when alternate sources of livelihoods are limited. Consequently, we recommend that the importance of angling to local communities needs to be taken into account when planning fisheries development and developing an inland fisheries policy
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- Date Issued: 2010
On the life history of a cyprinid fish, Labeo cylindricus
- Authors: Weyl, Olaf L F , Booth, Anthony J
- Date: 1999
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/125408 , vital:35780 , https://doi.10.1023/A:1007543319416
- Description: Fishes of the genus Labeo are widely distributed throughout Africa and consist of at least 80 species which comprise 16.4% of the African cyprinid ichthyofauna (Reid 1985). Most labeo species are also commercially important throughout the African continent, having contributed significantly to various fisheries. Their roe (sensu caviar) is often harvested as an additional bycatch (Skelton et al. 1991). Despite their obvious importance, the few studies that have investigated aspects of their life history have been conducted on the larger commercial species (Lowe 1952, Mulder 1973, Balon et al. 1974, Potgieter 1974, Baird 1976, Tomasson et al. 1984, van Zyl et al. 1995).
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- Date Issued: 1999
Ecological niche modeling of the invasive potential of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus in African river systems: concerns and implications for the conservation of indigenous congenerics
- Authors: Zengeya, Tsungai A , Robertson, Mark P , Booth, Anthony J , Chimimba, Christian T
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/124341 , vital:35596 , https://doi.10.1007/s10530-012-0386-7
- Description: This study applied ecological niche models to determine the potential invasive range of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, with a particular focus on river systems in southern Africa where it is now established and spreading. Computational tools such as niche models are useful in predicting the potential range of invasive species, but there are limitations to their application. In particular, models trained on native records may fail to predict the full extent of an invasion. This failure is often attributed to changes in either the niche of the invading species or the variables used to develop the models. In this study, we therefore evaluated the differences in the predictive power of models trained with different environmental variables, the effect of species range (native vs. introduced) on model performance and assessed whether or not there is evidence suggestive of a niche shift in Nile tilapia following its introduction. Niche models were constructed using Maxent and the degree of niche similarity was assessed using Schoener‘s index. Null models were used to test for significance. Model performance and niche conservatism varied significantly with variable selection and species range. This indicates that the environmental conditions available to Nile tilapia in its native and introduced ranges are not congruent. Nile tilapia exhibited broad invasive potential over most of southern Africa that overlaps the natural range of endemic congenerics. Of particular concern are areas which are free of exotic species but are now vulnerable due to the promotion of fish introductions mainly for aquaculture and sport fishing.
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- Date Issued: 2013