A review of light fishing on Lake Albert, Uganda: Implications for a multi-species artisanal fishery

Lake Albert is one of the transboundary African Great Lakes, shared by Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. The lake supports a multi-species artisanal fishery, comprised of ∼20 species, that vary in harvestable sizes. These range from small-sized fishes (<10 cm total length) such as Engraulicypris bredoi to large-bodied species such as Lates niloticus that can grow to 2 m in length. However, the abundance of large-bodied fishes has declined, leading to the emergence of a fishery around 2000, that targets small-sized pelagic species - SPS (E. bredoi and Brycinus nurse) using light. The aim of this article was to review the current understanding and identify important knowledge gaps in light fishing on Lake Albert, to inform sustainable fisheries management. Information was retrieved from Google Scholar, FishBase, IUCN, peer-reviewed articles, policy documents, and unpublished technical reports. We focused on light fishing effort, SPS catch, and their implications for a multi-species fishery. Transformations corresponding with light fishing introduction on Lake Albert from 2007 to 2021 include: (i) increase in number of boats and gears targeting SPS from 1632 to 1867 and from 1619 to 4929, respectively, (ii) three-fold increase in net panels per boat from 6 to 18, (iii) adoption of solar bulbs rather than kerosene lanterns, (iv) increase in annual lake catch from 144,900 to 348,536 tonnes, (v) shifts in catch composition from dominance of large-bodied species to currently SPS (∼70 %), and (vi) increase in proportion of fishing boats (∼30 %), and the lakeside population (60 %) engaged in light fishery activities. Light fishing has also triggered fishing conflicts, mainly from competition for fishing areas and by-catch of juveniles of large species. We recommend a detailed scientific investigation of impacts of light fishing techniques on the lake fisheries, to inform on appropriate harvesting gears, fishing areas, fishing periods, and optimal fishing effort.