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Vol. 46 No. 1, 2007
Quantitative Biological Assessment of a Newly Installed Artificial Reef in Yenne, Senegal
Hiroaki Terashima1,*, Masashi Sato2, Hiroyuki Kawasaki1, and Djiby Thiam3
1ICNet Ltd., FSK Bldg., 4-1 Shintoshin, Saitama 330-0081, Japan. Fax: 81-48-6002501, E-mail: terashima@icnet.co.jp
2Overseas
Agro-Fisheries Consultants Co., Ltd., Shuwa Daini Toranomon Bldg.,
21-19 Toranomon 1-chome, Tokyo 105-0001, Japan Fax: 81-3-35040779,
E-mail: sato@oafic.co.jp
3Centre de Recherches Oceanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye, Senegal. Fax: 221-342792, E-mail: djibythiam@yahoo.fr
Hiroaki Terashima, Masashi Sato, Hiroyuki Kawasaki, and Djiby Thiam (2007)
An artificial reef project was initiated in the coastal area of Yenne
Village on the central coast of Senegal in June 2004 in response to a
strong demand for coastal fisheries management and resource
conservation in Senegal. The artificial reef consisted of 400 gabions
and 75 concrete cubes installed in a 570 m2 area. We used a modified
point-stationary census method with video analysis to quantify fish
abundance over a summer and winter season. The results showed a strong
tendency for fish aggregation around the artificial reef, while fish
aggregation was negligible at the control site. Estimated fish biomass
at the artificial reef increased from 0 to 1.7 tn only 1 mo after
construction of the artificial reef. The biomass then decreased to
around 300 kg in winter. The total fish biomass significantly differed
over time (H = 11.674, p <
0.05). At the control site, the biomass was very low in July 2004 (0.8
± 0.3 kg), and this trend was maintained throughout the study period.
This is the 1st study to quantify fish abundances on an artificial reef
in the West African region. Such information is important for assessing
the effectiveness of artificial reefs in enhancing marine resources in
habitat-limited coastal areas.
Key words: Artificial reef, Visual census, Quantitative assessment, Senegal.
*Correspondence: E-mail: terashima@icnet.co.jp
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