The Gambia Estuary is one of the last estuaries in West Africa not to have
been affected by strong environmental changes and adverse human
disturbances. In order to describe the spatio-temporal change in fish
biomass in this estuary, and the seasonal changes in fish size classes, five
research surveys have been conducted at characteristic periods in the
river's water regime and meteorological seasons. The fish assemblages were
sampled by two vertical echosounding protocols: mobile surveys (zigzag
transects) in the estuary and moored stations. The two sampling methods
produced a similar image of the fish assemblages in terms of the
distribution of total biomass and target strength distributions. Large fish
aggregations were detected in the most marine area at the end of the wet
season, and fish biomass increased through the dry season in the upstream
zone. Fish were smaller at the beginning of the wet season and they were
always larger in downstream areas.