Vol. 10, Issue 2, Part A (2024)

Abstract
The ichthyofauna is a renewable biological resource whose management in a rational fisheries exploitation and conservation option requires a precise knowledge of its state. The general aim of this study is to inventory the various species of fish of the Clarias genus that inhabit certain rivers and lagoons in the coastal watershed of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Muanda territory. Data were collected during sampling campaigns that took place over a period of ten (10) months. Fish were caught using a range of artisanal fishing techniques and gear. The results of systematic inventories of fish species of the Clarias genus showed that this ichthyological fauna is rich and diversified. A total of five (5) Clarias fish species were identified: C. gariepinus Burchell, 1822, C. jaensis Boulenger, 1909, C. gabonensis Günther, 1867, C. buthupogon Sauvage, 1879 and C. camerunensis Lonberg, 1895. The fish species C. gariepinus, C. jaensis, C. gabonensis and C. camerunensis were the most representative in the catches. With regard to the temporal distribution of the fish studied, it was observed that it is during the rainy season that there is a large catch of specimens of the various Clarias fish species compared with the dry season. During both dry and rainy seasons, several abiotic variables influence the spatial distribution of Clarias fish inventoried in the study area. The results of this study are of great importance in the development of management plans and sustainable exploitation of these rivers and their resources.