Characteristics and status of the Lake Tegano Fishery

摘要

Where accessibility to sea is restricted, access to marine fisheries resources becomes limited. Rennell Island, on which Lake Tegano is situated, is an uplifted coral atoll surrounded by limestone cliffs of up to 150 m, such that the presence of inhabitable sites along the sea coast is limited. Much of the population, therefore, lives inland, making it difficult to engage in sea-fishing activities. Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus, Cichlidae) introduced into the lake in the 1950s has grown to become the most important source of protein food for the four village communities of 600 people that live along the lake shore. Realising the importance of tilapia the Rennell and Bellona Provincial Government seeks the possibility of introducing a new tilapia species, Nile tilapia (O. niloticus, Cichlidae) to the lake. With current tilapia already providing a sufficient source of protein, coupled with the island's recent inclusion under the World Heritage listing as a conservation site, caution must be taken in any further developments. Information on the fishery, water quality parameters and the physical environment of Lake Tegano were collected to describe the characteristics and status of the lake fishery.