~ 195 ~ International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 2021; 9(1): 195-203 E-ISSN: 2347-5129 P-ISSN: 2394-0506 (ICV-Poland) Impact Value: 5.62 (GIF) Impact Factor: 0.549 IJFAS 2021; 9(1): 195-203 © 2021 IJFAS www.fisheriesjournal.com Received: 25-10-2020 Accepted: 05-02-2021 Compaore Inoussa Laboratoire de Recherche et de Formation en Pêche et Faune (LaRFPF)/Université Nazi BONI, 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso Sanogo Souleymane Laboratoire de Recherche et de Formation en Pêche et Faune (LaRFPF)/Université Nazi BONI, 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso Tankoano Boalidioa Laboratoire SyNAIE (Systèmes Naturels, Agrosystèmes et de l’Ingénierie de l’Environnement) Université Nazi BONI, 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso Tama Kouakou Laboratoire de Recherche et de Formation en Pêche et Faune (LaRFPF)/Université Nazi BONI, 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso Nacro B Hassan 2 Laboratoire d’étude et de recherche sur la fertilité du sol (LERF)/Université Nazi BONI, 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso Kabre T André Laboratoire de Recherche et de Formation en Pêche et Faune (LaRFPF)/Université Nazi BONI, 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso Corresponding Author: Compaore Inoussa Laboratoire de Recherche et de Formation en Pêche et Faune (LaRFPF)/Université Nazi BONI, 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso Specific richness, size classes and growth parameters of the main fish species in the upper Mouhoun River basin in Burkina Faso Compaore Inoussa, Sanogo Souleymane, Tankoano Boalidioa, Tama Kouakou, Nacro B Hassan and Kabre T André DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/fish.2021.v9.i1c.2402 Abstract In Burkina Faso, fisheries management based on compliance with the fishing gears being authorized by the legislations is inadequate. In this context, it is necessary to find other tools to assess the catch sizes of the species and the quality of the living environment of the fish. For this purpose, a sampling was carried out in three fishing sites in order to study the richness, the size class, the weight-length relationship of captured species and the condition factor of the dominant species during the rainy and dry seasons. The results showed that the three fishing sites were found to be species abundant ones with 43 species divided into 31 genera belonging to 18 families. The dominant species were: Oreochromis niloticus, Sarotherodon galilaeus, Heterotis niloticus, Auchenoglanis occidentalis and Synodontis schall. In Bama, the catch sizes of O. niloticus ranged from 7.5 to 25 cm while in Balla it varied from 12.5 to 32.5 cm. The size of S. galilaeus ranged from 7.5 to 22.5 cm, 12.5 to 30 cm and 15 to 25 cm in Bama, Balla and Samendeni, respectively. Values of the constant b of the weight-length relationship revealed that 50% of the species had negative allometric growth, 20% had isometric growth and 30% had positive allometric growth. This showed that some species are exploited below the size of their first maturity in some sites, which might compromise their long-term survival. Keywords: Fisheries, size class, weight-length relationship, condition factor, Burkina Faso 1. Introduction In West Africa as elsewhere, human activities have been affecting strongly the fish communities [1] . These include the construction of dams, the use of chemicals in agriculture, the destruction of forests, and the discharge of domestic and industrial waste into watercourses. On one hand, these activities contribute to the reduction of fish habitats and on the other hand the qualitative degradation of their living environment. In addition to these threats, certain forms of fishing such as overexploitation and the use of prohibited gears have direct impacts on fish diversity and growth. Lévêque and Paugy [2] stated that growth metabolically covers the proportion of energy used to increase the body weight and length. This growth parameter is widely used in fisheries ecology as an indicator of fish habitat quality [3] . The assessment of this fish growth requires the use of approaches such as the method of the size class structure, the marking on bone pieces, the weight-length relationship and the condition factor. The growth process of fish is conditioned by the external environment (e.g., seasonal shrinkage of water bodies), the fish confinement and the scarcity of food resources [4, 5] . It is in this context that knowledge on the biology of fish growth becomes an essential tool for assessing the quality of the living environment and the level of fish exploitation. Thus, this would help to better manage the exploited stocks [6] . In this regard, studies on fish growth using the above-mentioned parameters have been conducted in Burkina Faso [7, 8, 5] . With regard to the upper Mouhoun River basin, few works have been conducted on fish growth. However, without reliable information on fish populations stock, it will be difficult to sustainably manage these fishing sites. That is why this study was initiated with the objective of assessing the situation of the fish fauna and evaluating the growth parameters of the main species in three fishing sites of the upper Mouhoun River basin for the purpose of promoting the sustainable management of the resources.