Understanding juvenile fish distribution across habitat mosaics is essential for interpreting ecosystem connectivity and function. This study assessed seasonal variations in juvenile reef fish assemblages across a mangrove-seagrass-coral reef continuum in Shimoni, southern Kenya. Using a beach seine net, sampling during the Northeast Monsoon (NEM) and Southeast Monsoon (SEM) seasons, a total of 8,575 individuals representing 2...

In order to achieve collaborative action in nature conservation and natural resources management, stakeholders have to understand and acknowledge other stakeholders’ interests, values, world visions and objectives and they have to overcome the problem of irrational decision-making through innate opposition discourses. In this paper we developed the Mangal Play, an experiential learning method to have participants adopt the rol...

Estuarine socio-ecological systems (SES) in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region face mounting pressures from overexploitation, habitat degradation, impacts of climate change and governance inadequacies. A regional assessment of seasonal-to-decadal change in SES of three estuaries (Bons Sinais in Mozambique, Ruvu in Tanzania and Tana in Kenya) was undertaken along 2000 km of tropical coastline (3°-18°S), using a systems-orien...

Household survey data and spatially explicit Sentinel-2 satellite images of land cover and land use during the dry and wet seasons were used to investigate livelihood strategies in the Lower Tana River Delta in Kenya, where food security and economic activity rely almost exclusively on ecosystem goods and services. Land cover classification of satellite imagery successfully showed seasonal changes to estuary-related vegetation...

The role of small-scale fisheries in maintaining socio-ecological systems (SES) in the Western Indian Ocean is well-documented, yet few studies have addressed estuarine fisheries in the region. Small-scale fisheries in the Tana Estuary in Kenya are described in this paper, accounting for location along a salinity gradient, seasonality, gear types used, species composition and relative abundance of landings. Monthly shore-based...

Endophytes are bacteria or fungi living asymptomatically in the internal tissues of plants. They are symbiotic in nature and can be exploited for novel bioactive metabolites with applications in agriculture, medicine and industry. Mangrove fungal endophytes from the marine environment are abundant and have been recognized as sources of bioactive natural products. The study was designed to isolate, purify and identify mangrove...

The biology of the sparid, Acanthopagrus berda (goldsilk sea bream) was investigated using catch samples obtained from artisanal fishers at selected fish landing sites in the Marereni and Ngomeni fishing areas on the north coast of Kenya. This species has not previously been studied in Kenya although it forms significant proportions of artisanal fish landings and is also a promising aquaculture species. In order to contribute...

The Pinkear Emperor (Lethrinus lentjan, Laćepède, 1802) is among the three demersal species dominating fish catches in the artisanal fishery on the Kenyan coast. Available data indicate that total landings of L. lentjan have declined over the past decade due to possible over-exploitation. This paper provides a brief account of the stock status of this species and biological aspects including length-weight relationship, body co...