A synthesis of fish life-history parameters in the four largest African Great Lakes

To assess the current state of knowledge and identify knowledge gaps for AGL fish life histories within the context of current fisheries management frameworks, we synthesized all available life-history parameter values for asymptotic length (L∞), Brody growth coefficient (K), size at maturity (Lm), and instantaneous rates of total mortality (Z) and natural mortality (M) for fish species from the four largest AGLs: Malawi, Tanganyika, Turkana, and Victoria. We summarized associated data on survey period, region, and analytical methods, revealing that length frequency-based methods are used more often than hard-structure-based methods to estimate growth, necessitating future research on spawning periods and fishing gear selectivity to reduce bias and error in L∞ and K by accounting for seasonal growth variations and size-selective mortality. We then assessed whether the current fisheries management frameworks for each lake are aligned with the knowledge of fish life histories, revealing that fishing minimum size regulations are often at or above Lm, which could contribute to stock destabilization from the harvest of primarily large mature fish. # A synthesis of fish life-history parameters in the four largest African Great Lakes Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.931zcrk2t](doi.org) ## Description of the data and file structure A systematic literature search conducted from September 2025 – January 2026 identified scientific surveys that estimated growth, mortality, and maturation-related life-history parameters (*L~∞~*, *K*, *M*, *Z*, and *L~m~*) for fish populations in Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Turkana, and Lake Victoria. The global FishBase database (Froese & Pauly, 2010) was used to compile lists of fish species found in each lake system, defined as the main lake basin and directly connected tributaries. Each species’ presence in the lake system was confirmed with a literature search using Google Scholar and Web of Science to ensure accuracy using the Genus species and corresponding lake name for each species, and species that were incorrectly classified or duplicated due to taxonomic reclassifications were excluded from the dataset. For each species, taxonomic data, occurrence status (i.e., endemic, native, or introduced), and IUCN classification (IUCN (2025)) were recorded. For species with reported in situ life-history parameter estimates, primary and grey literature sources associated with each reported parameter estimate were identified. Primary literature was defined as peer-reviewed publications such as journal articles, and grey literature was defined as non-peer-reviewed reports including technical reports, conference proceedings, and workshop handbooks. Parameter estimates reported in FishBase were confirmed using the corresponding original source document to ensure accuracy. If the source document presented parameter estimates from multiple studies, the original source of the parameter estimate was located and used. A complementary literature search was conducted using Google Scholar, Web of Science, and the AquaDocs repository using keywords for each lake outlined in Table S1 to maximize coverage. Searches were restricted to English-language terms. Copies of sources that were not publicly available, including grey literature items, were procured via the Stony Brook University Interlibrary Loan System. Once original sources were identified, life-history parameters (i.e., *L~∞~*, *K*, *M*, *Z*, and *L~m~*) were extracted, and metadata including survey area and survey period were recorded. Methods that were used to estimate *L~∞~*, *K*, *M*, *Z*, and *L~m~* were recorded and summarized for each species to contextualize variation in life-history parameter estimates within species. Methods to estimate growth parameters *L~∞~* and *K* were classified as either ‘Length-frequency Analyses’ or ‘Hard-structure Analyses’. Length-frequency-based analyses involve using commercially or scientifically collected length-frequency data surveyed over time, often at monthly intervals, to identify modal peaks in the length-frequency distributions assumed to be cohorts with different ages. These modal peaks are compared between different time steps to assess how they shift, indicating the growth of fish in the same cohort. Next, a growth function, such as the von Bertalanffy growth function (von Bertalanffy, 1938) or a modification thereof, is fit to the progression of modes, followed by the estimation of growth parameters L∞ and K. Hard structure analyses are characterized by the counting of annually or seasonally deposited growth bands on calcified tissues such as otoliths, opercular bones, scales, or vertebrae to estimate fish age. A growth function, like the von Bertalanffy growth function (von Bertalanffy, 1938), is then fit to length-at-age data to estimate *L~∞~* and *K*. Within each category, methods are further categorized by the technique used to obtain and/or restructure the length-at-age data, the growth function fit to the length-at-age data, and the methods used to ultimately estimate *L~∞~* and *K*. ### Files and variables #### File: Muehl_et_al_RFBF_Dataset.csv **Description:** This dataset contains all life-history parameters, associated metadata, and source information from "A synthesis of fish life-history parameters in the four largest African Great Lakes". PDF copies of all sources included in this study are also available by email request to the corresponding author.  ##### Variables * Lake: The name of the African Great Lake associated with each species (Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Turkana, or Lake Victoria) * Locality: General region within the lake in which the species can be found (i.e., the main lake basin, the main lake basin and associated rivers, tributaries only, etc.) * Species: *Genus species* * Family: Family to which that species belongs * Status: Endemism status (i.e., Endemic, Native, Introduced) * IUCN_Status: IUCN Conservation Status (i.e., LC = Least Concern, DD = Data Deficient, NE = Not Evaluated, NT= Near Threatened, VU = Vulnerable, EN = Endangered, CR = Critically Endangered, EW = Extinct in the Wild, EX = Extinct) * Survey_Area: Area in which the survey took place and the associated regional governing body * Survey_Start_Month: Month the survey began * Survey_Start_Year: Year the survey began * Survey_End_Month: Month the survey ended * Survey_End_Year: Year the survey ended * Sex: Sexes assessed in the survey (Male, Female, Both sexes combined) * Linf_cm: Estimated asymptotic length, *L~∞~* (cm) * Length Type: Fork length (FL), Total length (TL), or Standard Length (SL) * K: Brody growth coefficient, *K* (/year) * t0_(years): A theoretical parameter representing the age (or time) at which a fish would have a length of zero , *t~0~* (cm) * Method_General_Growth: General method used to estimate growth (i.e., length-frequency-based methods or hard-structure-based methods) * Method_Specific_Growth: Specific method used to estimate growth * Data_Source: Where the data used to estimate growth came from (Primary = the data was first presented by this source, Secondary = the data was collected and presented by a different source, but used to estimate growth by a different source) * Secondary Data Source Details: For secondary sources, this column indicates the initial source of the data * Data_Collection_Method: How was the data collected (e.g., scientific survey, commercial fisheries, etc.) * Lmax_(cm): Maximum observed length (cm) * Lm_cm: Length at maturity (cm) * Length_Type_Lm: Fork length (FL), Total length (TL), or Standard Length (SL) * Method_Lm: Method used to estimate length at maturity, *L~m~* * Z: Total mortality  * Method_Z: Method used to estimate total mortality, *Z* * M: Natural mortality  * Method_M: Method used to estimate natural mortality, *M* * F: Fishing mortality * Method_F: Method used to estimate fishing mortality, *F* * Original Source: Life-history parameter source citation reference details * Main Ref: Data source citation reference details * Literature Type: Literature type classification (e.g., Journal Publication, Technical Report, etc.) ## Code/software Excel can be used to access the data. ## Access information Other publicly accessible locations of the data: * .pdf copies of data sources, including technical reports, are available by request to the corresponding author Data was derived from the following source: * Reference citations for all data sources are included in the 'Original Source' data column in the .csv file