Abstract:
Catch per unit effort (CPUE) and water level variations in the lower reaches of the White Volta River
were studied at three landing sites namely, Pataplapei (upstream), Porturto (midstream), and Aglassipei
(downstream) from October 2011 to March 2012 to provide relevant information for further and future
studies. The water depths were measured monthly with speedtech hand eco sounder. Fishing effort
was measured as the number of fishermen per day whereas catch per unit effort (CPUE) was defined in
this study as kilogram of fish per canoe per day (kg/canoe/day). Post flood season (October to
December) had increasing CPUE associated with decreasing water levels. The dry season (January to
March) however, had both fluctuating CPUE against the decreasing waters and decreasing CPUE
associated with the decreasing water levels particularly in Pataplapei (upstream). Overall, the mean
CPUE during the dry season was slightly higher (1.03 kg/canoe/day higher) than the post flood season
whereas the fishing effort was higher in the post flood season than the dry season. Aglassipei
(downstream) had mostly the highest mean CPUEs, followed by Pataplapei (upstream). Porturto
(midstream) had mostly the lowest mean CPUEs due to the high fishing pressure at that site. Moreover,
total catches declined as the water levels drew down. The post flood season (October-December) had
more catches than the dry season (January-March).
