Diurnal feeding patterns and food habits of Lates niloticus in the Speke gulf, Lake Victoria

Abstract

Twenty four hour sampling sessions were conducted to investigate the feeding patterns and food habits of Lates niloticus in the Speke Gulf, Lake Victoria during January/February, July/August and December 2002. Feeding activity was more pronounced during daytime mostly in morning hours than during the night. The most dominant food item was haplochromines. There was a significant difference in the occurrence of food items in the gut of L. niloticus with time. However, there was no significant difference in the occurrence of food items in the habitat at different times. The study concludes with a recommendation for fishermen to set their nets at midnight and haul them early in the morning preferably at 08.00 hours in order to avoid spoilage of the catch when setting is done early in the evening.