Samuel Bandari, Cosmas Munga, Mumini Dzoga

Abstract

The global increasing population has risen the demand for sea food and hence making fisheries resources vulnerable to overexploitation in addition to the unprecedented impacts of climate change. In Kenya, this is evidently seen through ever increasing fishing effort and lack of compliance in fisheries regulations which has resulted to use of destructive fishing gears. The inadequacy to tackle these challenges is intensified by lack of knowledge of how different vessel-gear combinations impact on the artisanal fisheries. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of vessel-gear combinations for the artisanal fisheries in selected fishing areas of Mkunguni and Shimoni in south coast Kenya. Existing shore-based catch assessment data collected from January 2019 to August 2020 was compiled from the Fisheries Department of Kwale County in addition to another set of shore-based catch data collected between September 2020 and December 2021. The data was analyzed for total landings, catch rates and species composition by vessel-gear combinations, as well as determined resource use overlap between vessel-gear combinations. Univariate analysis by 2-way ANOVA was performed to discern differences in catch rates across fishing areas and between seasons. Total fish landings was 52.3 tons over the study period, and this was higher in the dry and warm northeast monsoon (NEM) season than in the cool and wet southeast monsoon (SEM) season. Total fish landings was higher in Shimoni fishing area (38.5 tons) than Mkunguni (13.8 tons). Seasonal differences in fish catch rate and landings were also observed in Shimoni and Mkunguni (2.13 ± 0.07 and 5.1 ± 0.18 in NEM; 2.51 ± 0.07 and 4.8 ± 0.15 in SEM, respectively; p = 0.003).    A total of 321 fish species in 88 families were sampled. Mkunguni recorded more species (n = 253) than Shimoni (n = 186) and species richness was significantly higher in Mkunguni than Shimoni (p < 0.0001). Canoe-basket trap and canoe-handline recorded the highest catch rate in Mkunguni at 1.91 ± 2.44 kg/fisher/day and 2.71 ± 3.64 kg/fisher/day, respectively. In Shimoni highest catch rate was recorded in foot-fisher-speargun (10.12 ± 11.15 kg/fisher/day), dhow-handline (5.12 ± 5.72 kg/fisher/day), dhow-spear gun (5.59 ± 5.47 kg/fisher/day) and dhow-basket trap (4.57 ± 4.35 kg/fisher/day).    This study concludes that the most effective and preferred vessel-gear combinations are canoe-handline, canoe-basket trap and dhow-handline in Mkunguni and Shimoni landing sites. Seasonal variation influences these choices and the different vessel-gear combinations indicate possible interactions in resource-use overlap.