Identification of Spawning Sites and Natural Nurseries of Fishes in Lake Buyo (Côte d’Ivoire)

Aims: Information on ichthyoplankton is an important tool in determining reproduction periods that if associated to environmental variables. The abundance and distribution of ichthyoplankton and their relationships to some environmental variables of the water in Lake Buyo were analyzed. Preferred microhabitats for spawning, dispersion and nursery were also verified. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted monthly from April 2019 through September 2019 in lake Buyo. Methodology: Acylindro-conical net (500 µm in mesh opening size, 50 cm in mouth diameter) and stream net (7 mm in mesh opening size) were used. Results: During the study period, the very lowest densities of eggs (1-2 ind/10 m3) and larvae were recorded in sites (S3 and S8) located relatively far from shoreline and the highest (186-724 ind/10 m3) in sites located near shoreline. The sites closed to littoral were identified as spawning areas by fish species during study period and sites located in deep water are not spawning sites. No significant difference between seasons was observed for each sampling site. Conclusion: Eggs and larvae distribution in Lake Buyo was strongly influenced by water depth, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, percentage of gravel, percentage of coarse sand and proportion of very fine sand.