The Mormyrus kannume is facing enormous fishing pressure from the fishermen who catch the fish with traps and use it as a bait in Nile perch fishery. As a result, bait fishery targets vulnerable stages of the breeding stages and breeding cycles. There is paucity of information on the current status of the of breeding aspects of the fish. To determine the breeding aspects of M. kannume, a total of 1689 fish samples were collected from upper Victoria Nile between March 2023 and February 2024. Macroscopic and histological analysis of the gonads confirmed that M. Kannume spawns throughout the year with a major spawning peak in March coinciding with the onset of rainfall season. The sex ratios did not significantly deviate from the known 1:1. The size at maturity (L50) was recorded in the same size class, at 23.0cm and 21.0cm Total length (FL) for males and females respectively. These results will guide the fisheries sector on regulation of its exploitation and a possibility for developing culture technologies for its increased availability and use for nutrition purpose and as a key source of bait in Nile perch fishery.
Key words: Mormyrus kannume, sex ratios, size at sexual maturity, breeding seasonality.