DECLINE OF THE NILE PERCH (lates niloticus) IN LAKE VICTORIA AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.

Nile perch known scientifically as a large freshwater fish introduced in lake Victoria in 1954 by the British Government so as to increase the fish population. By 1980's Nile perch population increased and was mainly used by ordinary families that could not afford more expensive fish like tilapia.

Lake Victoria in Tanzania is a productive freshwater fishery in Africa whereby dominated with three species,that is,dagaa, Nile perch and tilapia but currently there is a shortage of the Nile perch in the Lake according to different factors as stated below.

Failure of the government and other stakeholders to monitor,support and enforce sustainable fishing in Lake Victoria lead the fishermen to do illegal fishing where by a lot of fish species are affected as the result the scarcity of the Nile Perch in the Lake. Also the fishers sometimes capture of immature fish.

According to experts, pollution and environmental degradation are the main cause of extinction of the fish species in Lake Victoria speed. Mwanza is heavily polluted,thousand of tons of sewage and industrial waste flow into it each year,that make some species to die.

Also over-fishing of the Nile Perch in the Lake Victoria is the most factor whereby  a lot of them exported to other countries for business purposes, and this is because of the increasing prices and high fish demand.

The decline of the Nile perch from Lake Victoria brought some effects to indigenous and to the industries as well. 

This lead to high poverty levels to the  most of  employed and self-employed fishers,because their priority was to solve their day to day needs, this leave  majority  of fishers to remain  poor.

Also people residing in the Lake Victoria Basin are at risk due to the pollution of the lake and they are already consuming contaminated fish.

As the fish still declining have lead to decrease in the amount of fish available for home consumption and an increase in protein deficiency to human being/people. Also the decrease of the foreign exchange earnings from international exports due to the scarcity of Nile perch.

Generally, the Nile perch is a major traded fisheries commodity internationally. Its decline presents a special concern for the livelihoods of millions around the lake and the region.It has also been recognized that managing fishing effort through governmental regulations enforced by policing has not been successful owing to the size of the lake, the numbers of fishermen and the lack of monitoring capacity. 

Also member states should implement important regional and resolutions to effectively rationally utilize available fisheries resources and their development. They should also coordinate fish price negotiations,disseminate market information and offer credits to fishers.