SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Freshw. Sci.
Sec. Freshwater – Human Impacts
Volume 3 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/ffwsc.2025.1532407
A Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic Review of Emerging Research Trends in Sub-Saharan Africa Freshwater Fisheries
Provisionally accepted
Rodney Tatenda Muringai*
Walter Musakwa- University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Freshwater fisheries research in sub-Saharan Africa is gaining more attention, yet the current and emerging focus areas remain largely unexplored. This study analyses emerging research trends in the region from 2014 to 2024. A bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer software was conducted on 179 peer-reviewed publications, along with further qualitative content analysis of 45 articles selected using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis-Extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR). The findings show that research has delved into freshwater ecosystems biodiversity conservation, fish health, climate change impacts, fish evolution, diseases, and eutrophication effects on water quality and macroinvertebrates. South Africa dominates in published studies, often by a few prolific authors from a single institution, primarily in the African Journal of Aquatic Science. Content analysis shows emphasis on resource management, pollution mitigation, and understanding human impacts on freshwater ecosystems. This study enhances knowledge in freshwater fisheries by identifying key research trends, aiding scholars and professionals in staying informed about developments in the field. It also helps researchers recognize knowledge gaps, ensuring future studies address relevant issues and inform targeted policies and management strategies for freshwater conservation. While the study contributes to expanding knowledge in the field, its significance is somewhat limited by the narrow geographical focus. The dominance of South African publications in freshwater fisheries research, may not accurately represent the broader sub-Saharan African context, potentially overlooking crucial regional variations in freshwater fisheries research and management needs.
Keywords: aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, freshwater fish, Climate Change, Fisheries Management, pollution, sub-Saharan Africa
Received: 21 Nov 2024; Accepted: 28 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Muringai and Musakwa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rodney Tatenda Muringai, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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