Fishes of the Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo: survey and conservation issues

Abstract

Data were collected on the species richness and abundance of fishes at two sites in the Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. Thirty species were identified out of a total of 1,180 fish caught. Claria buthupogon and Synodontis nigriventris (respectively 4.7 and 3.5 catches per net-night) were the most abundant species. Twenty-six other fish species were reported from interviews with local people. Conservation concerns are the burning of breeding sites, use of chemicals for fishing, and the newly introduced practice of dynamite fishing. The effects of these practices in the Park have yet to be documented, but it is likely that these fishing techniques are having negative effects on the fish fauna and urgent action is required to curb such activities, at least within the Park.