Lake Nokoué

Lake Nokoué
Denham Waters
Lake Nokoué seen from space (false colour)
Lake Nokoué
Coordinates	6°26′00″N 2°27′00″E / 6.433333°N 2.45°E / 6.433333; 2.45
Basin countries	Benin
Max. length	20 km (12 mi)
Max. width	11 km (6.8 mi)

Lake Nokoué is a lake in the southern part of Benin. It is 20 km (12 mi) wide and 11 km (6.8 mi) long and covers an area of 4,900 ha (12,000 acres).^[1] The lake is partly fed by the Ouémé River and the Sô River, both of which deposit sediments from throughout the region in the lake.^[2]

The city of Cotonou sits on the southern border of the lake. Sections of the population of Cotonou have been displaced by coastal and lake flooding.^[3] On the northern edge of the lake is the town of Ganvié.

Because of its diverse wildlife, the lake provides an important source of food and economic activity for these towns.^[3] Fishing is best when water is low between November and June.^[1] Fishing is typically of 30 species of fish, with fish from the Cichlid, Clupeidae and Penaeidae families making 85% of the catch.^[1] The fishery became more stressed during the 1990s, as more people began fishing on the lake.^[1] Fishing is typically artisanal, with small crew dugout canoes catching small batches of fish.^[1] The estimated fish production of the lake is 2 tonnes per hectare per year.^[4]

The lake is also used for Acadja, a type of fish breeding facility.^[1]

The lake, in large part, is a lagoon.^[5] With the surrounding low-lying topography, the lake is expected to double in size and flood as the current global climate change gradually affects the sea level.^[3] This development carries a risk of future salinisation, which will make the freshwater lake more brackish and potentially change its ecology.^[3] Different sections of the lake currently alternate between freshwater and brackish ecosystems at an average depth of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in).^[1] Normal temperatures throughout the lake are between 27 and 29 °C (81 and 84 °F).^[1]

The lake is a site of deposition of both pesticides and heavy metals from upstream industry and human habitation.^[4] Though the pesticides are only present in fish at less than toxic levels,^[4] the heavy metals in the waters can reach levels in fish both unhealthy for humans and the fish.^{[citation needed]}

The floor of the lake is a mixture of sand, muddy-sand and mud layers.^[1]

Lake Nokoué has at least 78 species of fish.^[5] A number of bird species exploit the wide variety of fish as food, as well as species of otter.^[5]

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