Appendix 4 to Field Document 2 sets out the proposed fieldwork programme timetable for the duration of the project. The status of the work within this time table is discussed below, section by section.
In general the progress has been pleasing, especially during the period when the consultant was absent from the project. Progress has not been as fast as originally expected, and the reasons for this are discussed below. The work season of 1990 should really be considered as an orientation and training period. Coordinated and reliable data will be expected to be available at the end of the 1991 work season.
The work of this section of the work programme is approximately on schedule.
The bibliography of work of relevance to the lake investigation is apparently completed and translated into English where necessary. With the installation of the simple “Framework” database programme and the familarisation with this on the part of Mr Yang Hongzhi, the bibliography will now be entered into the computer for future use.
The construction of spreadsheets for the collation of data has now been successfully completed for the length-weight-sex data derived from the trawl catches, and for the limnological profiler data. These spreadsheets are easy to use and provide basic statistical analyses and graphical presentation of the data sets (see Appendices 3 & 4) . It is proposed that this work will continue with other data sets as the basic information becomes available and the requirements of analysis are known.
It is pleasing to report that the selection, ordering and delivery of equipment is well on schedule, despite the inordinate delays and administrative problems that occurred with some of the deliveries. The exception to this pattern is the equipment for the survey boat which is still somewhere in transit in China, and the nets and fishing materiels that were delayed in ordering and should be on site for the next fishing season.
The commissioning and training in the use of some of the equipment has not been completed this work season due to the arrival of some of the equipment too late in the season. This work will go ahead at the beginning of next year.
The provision of the converted trawler has been successfully completed to schedule, with the exception of the fitting of the new engine and the few minor points summarised in Appendix 1. This vessel has been in use at intervals throughout the current season.
A start has been made on this section of the work programme as a continuation of the previous work of the Institute. With the arrival of further equipment towards theend of this season, it will be possible to increase the emphasis on these investigations particularly with reference to the quantitative aspects.
A start has been made on the fishing of the migrating populations of breeding fish in the Buha river. This work has shown to good effect the abilities of the team in using the electrofishing apparatus. For the current season this work should be considered a preparatory training period for the investigations of the 1991 season.
The electrofishing techniques are also proving useful as a means of providing mature adults for the proposed naked carp hatchery.
Due to the lack of equipment, no mid-lake fishing has been undertaken. The collection of data from the trawler catches has started and will be compared with previous exercises of this nature.
Due to the lack of equipment no start has been made on tagging and marking experiments or echosounding for the estimation of fish stocks
No detailed schedule was prepared for this aspect of the lake fisheries, as it was thought that the material and methods available should be investigated further. It has still not proved possible to have any access to detailed log-book or similar data (should these exist). The evaluation of the official statistics must still be carried out and the part played by unrecorded fishing assessed. This latter component of the lake fishery includes at least one pair of trawlers based and landing on the north shore; a gill-net fishery which appears to be authorised but of which no statistics are available; and a considerable illegal activity exploiting the ‘run’ of breeding fish in the inflow rivers.
