Diversity of Fishery Organisms and Their Contribution to The Community Sustainability of Kilifi Creek, Kenya

Dorcus Auma Sigana

doi:10.37284/ajccrs.1.1.1011

Dorcus Auma Sigana, PhD University of Nairobi

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37284/ajccrs.1.1.1011

Keywords: Kilifi, Diversity Indices, Finfish, Crustaceans, Class Sizes

Share Article:

Abstract

Fishery organisms are a source of food and income in local societies surrounding any water body. Investigations were carried out to study the diversity and distribution of fishery organisms of the Kilifi estuarine creek and their contribution to community sustainability. Sampling took place at Sea horse, Fumbini, Konjora, and Rare on the northern arm and at Nkoma, Mazioni, Fumbini, and Kombeni on the southern arm of the creek. All fishery organisms obtained were identified, counted and length dimensions taken. The 1444 prawns obtained were Fenneropenaeus indicus and Penaeus monodon while the 207 were four crab species Portunus armatus, Portunus sanguinolentus, Scylla serrata, and Thalamita crenata. F. indicus was the most abundant of the prawn species whereas P. armatus and S. serrata were caught at all study sites in smaller class sizes. 7,258 finfishes identified were 85 species belonging to 14 orders, 46 families. Biodiversity indices analysed showed that Margalef’s species richness index was highest (8.293) at Sea horse and lowest (3.874) at Rare. Pielou’s evenness was highest (0.7286) at Nkoma and lowest (0.5319) at Rare. Simpson’s diversity index was highest at Nkoma (0.8917) and lowest at Rare (0.6672). Bray-Curtis similarity grouped all fishes into three ecosystems, open sea waters, the mudflats, and river channels. The most abundant finfish species were Leiognathus equula (20.17 %) followed by Mugil cephalus (17.64%), Gerres filamentosus (10.25%), and Pomadasys multimaculatum (7.37%). Most abundant finfish species and crustaceans were in small class sizes hence for local consumption by communities around the creek

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abila, R. (2010). Economic evaluation of the prawn fisheries of Malindi-Ungwana Bay along the Kenyan coast. Fisheries Department Report.

Akin, S., Buhan, E., Winemiller, K. O., & Yilmaz, H. (2005). "Fish assemblage structure of Koycegiz lagoon-estuary, Turkey: Spatial and temporal distribution patterns in relation to environmental variation. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 64, 671 - 684.

Blaber, S. J. M. & Milton, D. A. (1990). Species composition, community structure and zoogeography of fishes of mangrove estuaries in the Solomon Islands. Marine Biology, 105, 259 - 267.

Blel, H., Chatti N., Besbes, R., Farjallah, S., Elouaer, A., Guerbej, H., & Said, K. (2008). Phylogenetic relationships in grey mullets (Mugilidae) in a Tunisian lagoon. Aquaculture Research, 39(3), 268 – 275.

Clarke, K. R., Gorley, R. N., Somerfield, P. J., & Warwick, R. M. (2014). Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation.

Fischer, W., & Bianchi, G. (1984). FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean, Fishing area 51. Volumes I to VI.

Fischer, W., & Hureau, J. C. (1985). FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes Southern Ocean: Fishing Areas 48, 58 and 88 (CCAMLR Convention Area).

Garcia, A. M., Viera, J. P., & Winemiller, K. O. (2001). Dynamics of the shallow-water fish assemblage of the Patos Lagoon estuary (Brazil) during the cold and warm ENSO episodes. Journal of Fish Biology, 59, 1218 - 1238.

Gratwicke, B. & Speight, M. R. (2005). The relationship between fish species richness, abundance and habitat complexity in a range of shallow tropical marine habitats. Journal of Fish Biology, 66, 650 - 667.

Hatcher, B. J., Johannes, R. E., & Robertson, A. I. (1989). Review of research relevant to the conservation of shallow tropical marine ecosystems. Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Review, 27, 337 - 414.

Jung, S., & Houde, E. D. (2003). Spatial and temporal variabilities of pelagic fish community Structure and distribution in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Estuarine and Coastal shelf Science, 58, 335 – 351.

Jowett, I. G., & Richardson, J. (1996). Distribution and abundance of freshwater fish in New Zealand rivers. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 30, 239 - 255.

Krebs, C. J. (1978). Ecology: The experimental analysis of distribution and abundance, Harper and Row.

Kimani E. N., Mwatha G. K., Wakwabi, E., Ntiba, M. J., & Okoth, B. K. (1996). Fishes of a shallow tropical mangrove estuary, Gazi, Kenya. Marine and Freshwater Research, 46, 857 - 868.

Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI). (2018). The status of Kenya Fisheries. Towards Sustainable Exploitation of Fisherise Resources for Food Security and Economic Development. ISBN 978-9966-820-66-2.

Little, M. C., Reay, P. J., & Grove, S. J. (1988). The fish community of an East African mangrove creek. Journal of Fish Biology, 32, 729 – 747.

Lin, H.-J., & Shao, K.-T., (1999). Seasonal and diel changes in a subtropical mangrove fish assemblage. Bulletin of marine Science, 65(3), 775 – 794.

Loneragan, N. R., Potter, I. C., Lenanton, R. J. C., & Caputi, N. (1987). Influence of environmental variables on the fish fauna of the deeper waters of a large Australian estuary. Marine Biology, 94, 631 - 641.

Melville-Smith, R., & Baird, D. (1980). Abundance, distribution and species composition of fish larvae in the Swartkops estuary. South African Journal of Zoology, 15(2), 72 - 78.

Moore, R. H. (1978). Variations in the diversity of summer estuarine fish populations in Aransas bay, Texas, 1966 - 1973. Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science, 6, 495 - 501.

Nyawira, A. M. (1986). Edible crabs of Kenya. Kenya Aquatica, 2, 61 – 65.

Obura, D. O. (2001). Participatory monitoring of shallow tropical marine fisheries by artisanal fishers in Diani, Kenya. Bulletin of Marine Science, 69(2), 777 - 791.

Potter, I. C., Bird, D. J., Claridge, P. N., Clarke, K. R., Hyndes, G. A., & Newton, L. C. (2001). Fish fauna of the Severn Estuary. Are there long term changes in abundance and species composition and are there recruitment patterns of th main marine species correlated? Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 258, 15 - 37.

Quinn, N. J. (1980). Analysis of temporal changes in fish assemblages of Serpentine creek, Queensland, Australia. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 5, 117 - 133.

Rashid, M. K., Jung’a, J. O., Badamano, M., Ruwa R. K., & Charo, H. K. (2019). Morphometric length-weight relationship of wild penaeid shrimps in Malindi – Ungwana Bay: Implications to aquaculture development n Kenya. The Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research, 45(2), 167 – 173.

Richmond, M. D. (1997). A guide to the Seashores of Eastern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean Islands. 448 pp. ISBN91 – 630 – 4594-X.

Sigana, D. O. (2002). The breeding cycle of Scylla serrata (Forskål, 1755) at Ramisi River estuary, Kenya. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 10, 257 – 263.

Smith, M. M., & Heemstra, P. C. (1986). Smith's Sea Fishes. Berlin Heidelberg New York London Paris Tokyo, Spinger-Verlag: 1047pp.

Sutton, T. T., & Hopkins, T. L. (1996). Species composition and vertical distribution of the stomiid (Pisces: Stomiiformes) fish assemblage in the gulf of Mexico. Bulletin of Marine Science, 59(3), 530 - 542.

Therriault, T. W., & Kolasa, J. (1999). Physical determinants of richness, diversity, evenness and abundance in natural aquatic microcosms. Hydrobiologia, 412, 123 - 130.

Vandick, S. B., Nidia, N. F., Ana, C. M. M., & Richard, J. L. (2014). Tropical Artisanal coastal fisheries challenges and future directions. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture, 22(1), 1 – 15.

van den Broek, W. L. F. (1979). A seasonalsurvey of fish population in the lower Medway Estuary, Kent, based on Power ststion screen samples. Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science, 9(1), 1 – 15.

van Hoof, L., & Steins, N. A. (2017). Mission report Kenya: Scoping mission marine fisheries Kenya (No. C038/17). Wageningen Marine Research.

Vidthayanon, C. & Premcharoen, S. (2002). The status of estuarine fish diversity in Thailand. Marine and Freshwater Research, 53, 471 - 478.

Wakwabi, E.O., 1999. The ichthyofauna of a tropical mangrove bay (Gazi, Kenya): Community structure and organization.

Whitfield, A. K. (1994). A review of ichthyofaunal biodiversity in Southern African estuarine systems. Biological diversity in African Fresh and Brackish water fishes. Musee royal de l’ Afrique Centrale Tervuren, Belgique, 275, 149 - 163.

Whitfield, A. K. (1998). Biology and Ecology of Fishes in Southern African Estuaries. Ichthyological monographs of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology. P. C. Heemstra. No. 2: 223.

Whitfield, A. K. (2005). Preliminary documentation and assessment of fish diversity in sub- Saharan African estuaries. African Journal of Marine Science 27(1), 307 – 324.

Worthington, D. G., McNeill, S. E., Ferrell, D. J., & Bell, J. D. (1995). Large scale variation in abundance of five common species of decapod sampled from seagrass in New South Wales. Australian journal of ecology, 20(4), 515-525.

Zar, J. H. (1996). Biostatistical analysis. Pearson Education India.