Identification of migratory and spawning habitats of Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) in Lake Edward - Ishasha River watershed, Albertine Rift Valley, East Africa

Abstract

Catfish (1103) were sampled twice monthly with beach-seines, tagged with external T-bar Anchor tags and released at four estuarine sites, in July – August; September - October 2011; February-March and; April - May 2012. The study aimed to identify catfish migratory and spawning habitats around Lake Edward watershed. The relocations for 115 C. gariepinus recaptured within the lake watershed were determined and spawning condition examined. About 73% of catfish were recaptured from the littoral, 11.3% from marginal wetlands, 8.7% from the pelagic, 3.5% from river mouths and river channel, respectively. Among the ripe females, about 46% were recaptured from the marginal wetlands, 23% from river channel, and about 15.5% from the littoral and river mouths, respectively. The selected habitats were identified as migratory and spawning grounds for C. gariepinus. These should be conserved and protected from human activities and development programs and their connectivity ensured.