Assessment of fishing gear types and their influence on Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) in the upper Benue river Basin, Nigeria

This study investigated the relationship between catch per unit effort (CPUE) and fishing gear type in River Taraba, Nigeria. The study was carried out for a 6 months period running from July to December 2022. The fish specimens used for the study was obtained through catch statistics at the three major landing sites of the study area. The sites were sampled twice monthly for fish species. Sampling was by: Direct observation of the Fish species and gears at the landing sites. Fish identifications as well as measurement of weight and number of fishermen were taken. The results showed that Gill net (Taru), Cast net (Birgi), Lift net (Akauji), Longline (Rincha) and Malian trap (Gura/Malia) are the most preferred fishing gears used by fishermen in Upper Benue River Basin at Mayo Ranewo; the results further revealed number of fishers in the 6 months study period ranged between 13 to 22 while the efforts (fishing hours) ranged from between 17 to 29 hrs/day. The average weight of fish caught per fisher per day ranged between 16 to 26 kg. September and October have the highest Catch Per Unit effort range of between 19.36 and 20.30 kg/hr while the lowest catch per unit effort is recorded in August with range of between 11.28 to 12.78 kg/hr. These findings have important implications for the management of River Taraba fishery, and can be used to inform policies and regulations to ensure the sustainability of the fishery. Therefore, this study recommends that fishers are encouraged to adopt more sustainable fishing practices, such as avoiding sensitive areas or using less harmful gear.