Economic Impact of Redclaw Crayfish on the Barotse Floodplain Fishery

Zambia's Barotse floodplain artisanal fishery is the focus of this dataset, which quantifies the economic impact of the invasive redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) in the Zambezi basin. Data was collected via roving creel surveys to assess socio-economic impacts, including potential costs related to control, mitigation, and ecosystem service corrosion. The dataset provides raw figures for analyzing the financial burden of this biological invasion on local economies.

Use Cases

• Estimating fishery revenue loss based on creel survey catch and effort data.
• Modeling the spread and economic cost of Cherax quadricarinatus invasions.
• Comparing pre- and post-invasion livelihood impacts on artisanal fishing communities.
• Informing invasive species management policy with localized socio-economic data.

Strengths

• Dataset is openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0, facilitating reuse and redistribution.
• Focus on a specific, high-impact invasive species (Cherax quadricarinatus) in a defined geographic region (Barotse floodplain).
• Data collection method (roving creel surveys) is explicitly described for assessing fishery impacts.

Limitations

• Column names and a precise row count are not provided, limiting understanding of the data structure.
• The temporal coverage of the surveys is not specified, making trend analysis difficult.
• Relies on a single data collection method (creel surveys), which may not capture all economic dimensions.

Provenance

Source

Josie South

Collection Method

Roving creel surveys implemented on the Barotse floodplain.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-03-23.

Geography

Barotse floodplain, Zambezi basin, Zambia.