Inventory, description and analysis of fishing gear and techniques used in Lake Ahémé and its channels, facing the law on fishing in Benin (West-Africa)

Located in the southwest of Benin, the study environment consists of Lake Ahémé, the Ahô channel, the Tihimey channel, the coastal lagoons of Grand-Popo and Ouidah. The mouth of Avlo-plage makes the area an Estuarine Lagoon environment rich in ichthyofaunal biodiversity where fishing, the main activity of the populations, is practiced with various gears and techniques which are inventoried and described in this study. The methodological approach adopted revolves around documentary research, field surveys through questionnaires and interviews and direct observations. The people interviewed are made up of fishermen; fish wholesalers; agents specializing in fishery production. The study environment was subdivided into 19 observation stations and the data were collected from January 2018 to December 2019. The gears were illustrated by photos and described according to the results of the documentary research and information received from the fishermen. Their variations according to the bodies of water and the stations were calculated using the Excel 2017 table. The drawn meshes of the nets were measured to the nearest millimeter. The study shows that the inventoried fishing gears and techniques include nets, lines, pots, Acadjas and trap dams (Xhas), categorized into 12 gears and 02 techniques, of which 86% are constant and 14% are accessories. Gbagbaloulou conical nets dominate the gear while the landing net is the least represented. The smallest mesh measured is 2mm, while the largest mesh is 25mm. The fishing gear and techniques used do not ensure rational and sustainable management of fishery resources. Faced with the damage they are causing, the Government proceeded to their systematic removal. Snail farming was initiated to diversify the activities of fishermen