Factors affecting the fishing power of sardine fishing vessels and implications for the management of the fisheries on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

The factors important in determining fishing power in the Lake Kariba sardine, Limnothrissa miodon (Boulenger, 1906), fishery were identified using data from the major fishing area of the lake, the Kariba basin, for the periods 1980–1982 and 1988–1990. Comparisons were carried out using fishing power calculated from the mean catch of some standard vessels. Three methods were used for identification of the important attributes. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out for each component to compare the mean fishing power at all levels within each variable. Multiple regression analysis was used to build predictive models and to determine the factors which best predict fishing power. Factor analysis was used to ordinate vessel types and examine any vessel groupings related to fishing power. Factor analysis showed that vessel and net size were the most important variables. Vessels without engines for propulsion, of low value and without radios had less fishing power than the other vessels in the fleet. Vessels from the same company had similar fishing power, suggesting that some unmeasured variable such as quality of management linked to the fishing companies had a significant effect on catch. The factors which were important in determining catch were length of vessel, depth of the net, presence and absence of echo sounder, mobility, the type of light, number and wattage of the underwater lights in the 1988–1990 fishing period. Vessel length and net category were most important in the period 1980–1982. The models accounted for between 37.6 (1981) and 61.2% (1988) of the variation in fishing power. During the development of the fishery, there has been a change from purse seine to lift nets, and increases in the use of echo sounders, engines for the propulsion of vessels and radios, all of which could have increased effective fishing effort.