Lake Tanganyika is the oldest of the East African Great Lakes, and one of the oldest and deepest lakes in the world. It is a global hotspot for freshwater biodiversity, with fish representing Lake Tanganyika’s most studied aquatic group. Due to the history of declining catch rates since the mid-1990s and ongoing increases in fishing pressure within the Nsumbu region, the Nsumbu Tanganyika Conservation Programme (through the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) has begun to establish the capacity to assist in the management of fisheries on a local level. This began by establishing Community Fisheries Management Committees (CFMCs) through which Community Management Fisheries Zones (CMFZs) have been spatially defined. A positive first step towards enhancing local community-based management of the fisheries.

Historically, biological fisheries independent surveys within the region have been limited. Therefore, FZS commissioned the present study to obtain baseline information on the fishery resources and biodiversity within the CFMAs and the adjacent Nsumbu National Park (NNP). FZS appointed Aquatic Ecosystem Services (AES) to undertake a baseline ichthyofaunal biodiversity assessment and fisheries management evaluation within the NNP and adjacent CFMAs. This study aimed to provide information to support the development of fisheries management plans for the CFMAs and provide baseline data against which future monitoring can be compared.

AES conducted an extensive field sampling survey in January/February 2022 within and outside the NNP, implementing four complementary sampling components including Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUVs), gillnet surveys, snorkel counts and voucher specimen collections for taxonomic study. The methods implemented were based on sound scientific methods and sampled a wide range of aquatic habitats. The findings provided critical information on species presence, abundance and community structure within the national park and surrounding open fishing areas. To support future work in the area an annotated checklist of fish species was developed, and a large number of genetic samples and voucher specimens were collected for further taxonomic and eDNA studies.