The effects of river flooding on the fish populations of two eastern Cape Estuaries

Abstract

The effect of river flooding during July and August 1979 on fish populations in two eastern Cape estuaries is compared. It is shown that floods of varying intensity occur regularly in these estuaries. Fish populations in the two estuaries, namely the Swartkops and the Sundays, were differently affected: members of the family Mugilidae increased in numbers in the Swartkops estuary after the floods but decreased to insignificant numbers in catches in the Sundays estuary for a number of months after the floods. It is postulated that mud and silt which are deposited in the Swartkops during the flood serve as a food source for the mullet whereas the rich surface benthos layer of a channel-like estuary like the Sundays is washed away by heavy floods.