ABSTRACT
Basse Casamance is a traditional rice culture zone in which fish trapping has been practiced in the ricefields, but two decades of drought have modified the ecosystem. Mangrove areas have expanded along shorelines, the soil has become degraded, high salinities are occurring in surface and ground water, and plant and animal abundance and diversity have been altered. The Basse Casamance is rainfed, with an average rainfall of 1,200 mm/year and 1,600 mm of evaporation. The rainy season is from May to October in a normal year, but it might start in June or July because of drought. Fish are harvested after they have been in the ponds from 120 to 150 days, either when the rice is about to mature or just after the rice harvest from December to January.
