An assessment of local fisheries in Diego-Suarez Bay, Madagascar

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either poisonous to eat (in the case of the puffer and cowfish) or had very little flesh (in the case of cornet and three ribbon wrasse). Striped catfish (Plotosus lineatus) that were caught were placed in a hole in the sand and covered over. This was to prevent any accidental injury caused by touching the venomous pectoral and dorsal spines It is worth noting that 23 great barracudas were caught in one of the catches ranging from 15 cm to 30 cm in fork length. In another of the catches approximately 50 kilos of sardines were observed. The nets were found to be cast at a frequency of 2 per kilometre. All fishing effort was conducted during daylight hours. Fishing traps were seen stacked on the beach, however no observations of the fishermen deploying them were made. Opportunistic fishing with a spear gun was also observed being carried out by the guides during tourist boat excursions in the bay. Seine netting was observed to the principal method of fishing in this area. Outside of Ramena (Including Antsisikala and all other areas surveyed) The methods used in these areas of the bay are as follows: Method 1 Single person wooden pirogue approximately 2-2.5m in length. Powered by a small sail, made from a rice sack and/or a wooden oar. Small heavy objects such as rocks or scrap metal are used as anchors. Fishing is done over a reef or on the reef edge. Baited fishing hooks on a nylon fishing line ranging from 0.5-2mm in diameter are used. The lines are cast over the side of the boat and are pulled up and down in small movements to attract fish. Any fish caught is pulled in by hand, no reel or rod is used. Fish are placed in a plastic cool box to keep them fresh. Method 2 Two person pirogue approximately 3-4m in length. Powered by a small sail made from a rice sack and/or a wooden oar and/or 5HP outboard. Line fishing as previously described is used, with both fishermen using a line. Fishermen also used set nylon gill nets with a mesh size of 3-4cm. Nets ranged in length from 15-25m. The top of the net had a floated headline. These are placed both parallel and perpendicular to the reef if there is a reef crest. If the reef is gently sloping then the nets were placed above the seabed, again parallel or perpendicular to the shoreline. Nets are also placed over seagrass beds. The nets are left in situ for up to 10 hours and then hauled in. Again the catch is placed in plastic cool boxes. The nets tended to be cast out during the late afternoon during daylight hours and were then retrieved in the morning of the following day before sunrise. Method 3 Large wooden boats approximately 6m in length powered by outboard engines ranging in horsepower between 5 and 25 are used in combination with a large sail made from thick cotton. The number of fishermen aboard a vessel of this size ranges from 2-6 people. Fishing methods observed were both line fishing and gill net fishing. Three further methods were witnessed, 1) trolling using a thick nylon fishing line approximately 3mm in diameter with a florescent lour, in the shape of a fish or squid with a three pronged hook approximately three centimetres in length. The line is cast behind the moving boat while the boat is either power by an engine or wind; 2) duck diving using snorkelling equipment to collect edible sea cucumbers and 3) spear gun fishing. Fishermen using all of the above methods had easy access to the shore, as all the reefs are coastal fringing reefs or island fringing reefs. This allows them to be able to fish and then camp close to their fishing ground, reducing their time at sea travelling and increasing their time fishing. 14
The following families were observed in the catches of fishermen’s outside Ramena. Reef species identified: Lutjanidae (snappers), Haemulidae (sweeetlips), Serranidae (groupers), Scaridae (parrotfish), Nemipteridae (breams and spinecheeks), Lethrinidae (emperors) and Siganidae (rabbitfish), Pomacentridae (damselfish); reef associated: jacks and trevallies (Carangidae), sharks (Sphyrinidae) and barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson). Referring back to the questionnaire data from Antsisikala and the visual observations made at Antsisikala and in the other areas of the bay (except Ramena), fishing activity in Antsisikala is likely to be representative of many of the local villages, while Ramena is more atypical. 3.3.3 Catch-per-unit effort Due to no specific landing sites or times it makes assessing catches difficult. The CPUE ranged from 0.3 – 0.7 kg person -1 hr -1 for traps, 0.3 – 7.5 kg person -1 hr -1 for hook and line and 1.6 - 3.1 kg person -1 hr -1 for seine nets. 3.3.4 Diego-Suarez fish market prices The current price per fish or seafood item is detailed in table 4. Shark, jacks and trevallies were the most expensive fish to buy. Sea cucumbers are not considered a delicacy in Diego-Suarez and are therefore exported. Table 4. Prices of fish/invertebrates from Diego-Suarez market (2008). £1=2800 Ariary (Dec 2008) Price (Ariary) Fish / Invertebrate (Malagasy / English) per kg Batola / Jacks & Trevallies 6000 Akio / Shark 6000 Thon / Tuna 5000 Orita / Octopus 5000 N/A / Barred Spanish mackerel 5000 Henjy / Rabbitfish 4000 Menaeliky / Snapper 4000 Vovoko / Sweetlips 3000 capitaine / Emperor 3000 Mondrazy / Goatfish 3000 Mahaloky / Fusilier 3000 Riadriaka / Surgeonfish 3000 N/A / Sardine 3000 Tabaka / Wrasse 2400 Mokoba / Ray 2200 Angotra / Parrotfish 2000 Alovo / Grouper 1400 Dingadingana / Sea cucumber exported 15
Page 1: Frontier Madagascar Environmental R
Page 4 and 5: Suggested Technical Paper citation:
Page 6 and 7: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is the
Page 8 and 9: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The artisanal fis
Page 10 and 11: 2 Methods and Materials 2.1 Survey
Page 12 and 13: 3 Results 3.1 Socio-economic data P
Page 14 and 15: ut the majority of fishermen do not
Page 16 and 17: Table 3. Fishermen’s opinion on r
Page 18 and 19: Mean number of fish 14 12 10 8 6 4
Page 22 and 23: 4 Discussion 4.1 Socio-economic and
Page 24 and 25: elieved that the size has decreased
Page 26 and 27: Identifying where the main fishing
Page 28 and 29: 6 References Adam, M.S., Anderson,
Page 30 and 31: Appendices Sample Questionnaire Fis

An assessment of local fisheries in Diego-Suarez Bay, Madagascar

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