An overview of fish restocking into fresh and brackish inland waterways of Benin (West Africa)

Abstract

The alien fish introduction into wild is done through restocking and escapes. The fish restocking can improve the productivity of waterways. However, it may cause some disruptions in aquatic ecosystems. In order to assess their impacts on the fisheries resources, this study reviewed the history of restocking programs made in Benin. A survey by prospective and retrospective interviews was led with fishermen and aquaculturists. The various introductions focused on both indigenous and non-native species. The most restocked hydrographic basin was Niger basin (779,555 fry) while the less stoked one was Mono basin (86,172 fry). The majority of stakeholders (98-100%) recognized that the various restocking programs were successful. Most of the actors have recognized that there has been until there no impact study of the different stocking campaigns (0-44.4%; P