Fish export dollars may disappear
Sep 12, 2010
UGANDA risks losing billions of shillings from fish exports as 45% of Lake Victoria’s fish species face extinction due to increased indiscriminate fishing, scientists have revealed.
By Macrines Nyapendi
UGANDA risks losing billions of shillings from fish exports as 45% of Lake Victoria’s fish species face extinction due to increased indiscriminate fishing, scientists have revealed.
A study done by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) states that 45% of the 191 fish species in Africa’s largest fresh water body were threatened with extinction or are already extinct.
The survey on 5,167 African freshwater species conducted by IUCN scientists found out that some 21% of fish species, molluscs, crabs, dragon flies and aquatic plants were at risk of getting extinct.
“The lake is chocking due to increased human activity on its catchments, the use of illegal fishing gear that indiscriminately takes out the lake’s biomass has increased the mortality rates and damaged the eco system,†said a fisheries official.
Illegal fishing is the catching of fish using prohibited methods. These ruinous activities are threatening the livelihood of nearly 30 million people across the East African region.
The IUCN report noted; “As fish is the main source of protein and livelihoods for much of Africa’s poorest people, the disappearance of fish species could have a devastating impact on the local population.â€
Jean-Christophe Vie, the deputy head of IUCN said, “Freshwaters provide a home for a disproportionate level of the world’s biodiversity and fresh water ecosystems are home to over 7% of all species.â€
Poverty and the high demand for fish and fisheries by-products are blamed for illegal fishing activities on the resource.
Despite a myriad of
regulations by the Government to control open access to the resource and curb illicit fishing practices, most illegal fishers have not taken the prohibition of their harmful activities serious.
The Government loses over sh300b in illegal, unregulated and unrecorded fishing activities annually, according to statistics from the fisheries department.
Though fisheries officials declined to comment on the report saying the findings were baseless, Dr. Levi Muhoozi, a researcher at the National Fisheries Research Institute said the report was accurate. “High species diversity can enhance biological integrity, productivity and stability of an ecosystem.
In fisheries, high species diversity can contribute to sustainable productivity of commercial fish stocks in the long term but a loss of fish species for example the 45% cited by IUCN for Lake Victoria does not mean a similar reduction in quantity of commercial fish stocks†Muhoozi explained.
Muhoozi said IUCN is a reputable organisation that publishes information based on facts.
However, he advised that the research should not be used to interpret fish species extinction in commercial terms.
Millions of Africans may lose a key source of livelihoods as a fifth of freshwater African species are threatened with extinction, the updated Red List of endangered species showed Thursday.
William Darwall, a manager of the IUCN fresh water biodiversity unit, warned that if the loss of these species is not reversed, not only will the richness of Africa’s biodiversity be lost, but million of people will lose their source of income and food.
Lake Victoria stretches across the three east African countries of Uganda Kenya and Tanzania. The other lakes on the red list were Cameroon’s Barombi Mbo.
UGANDA risks losing billions of shillings from fish exports as 45% of Lake Victoria’s fish species face extinction due to increased indiscriminate fishing, scientists have revealed.
A study done by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) states that 45% of the 191 fish species in Africa’s largest fresh water body were threatened with extinction or are already extinct.
The survey on 5,167 African freshwater species conducted by IUCN scientists found out that some 21% of fish species, molluscs, crabs, dragon flies and aquatic plants were at risk of getting extinct.
“The lake is chocking due to increased human activity on its catchments, the use of illegal fishing gear that indiscriminately takes out the lake’s biomass has increased the mortality rates and damaged the eco system,†said a fisheries official.
Illegal fishing is the catching of fish using prohibited methods. These ruinous activities are threatening the livelihood of nearly 30 million people across the East African region.
The IUCN report noted; “As fish is the main source of protein and livelihoods for much of Africa’s poorest people, the disappearance of fish species could have a devastating impact on the local population.â€
Jean-Christophe Vie, the deputy head of IUCN said, “Freshwaters provide a home for a disproportionate level of the world’s biodiversity and fresh water ecosystems are home to over 7% of all species.â€
Poverty and the high demand for fish and fisheries by-products are blamed for illegal fishing activities on the resource.
Despite a myriad of
regulations by the Government to control open access to the resource and curb illicit fishing practices, most illegal fishers have not taken the prohibition of their harmful activities serious.
The Government loses over sh300b in illegal, unregulated and unrecorded fishing activities annually, according to statistics from the fisheries department.
Though fisheries officials declined to comment on the report saying the findings were baseless, Dr. Levi Muhoozi, a researcher at the National Fisheries Research Institute said the report was accurate. “High species diversity can enhance biological integrity, productivity and stability of an ecosystem.
In fisheries, high species diversity can contribute to sustainable productivity of commercial fish stocks in the long term but a loss of fish species for example the 45% cited by IUCN for Lake Victoria does not mean a similar reduction in quantity of commercial fish stocks†Muhoozi explained.
Muhoozi said IUCN is a reputable organisation that publishes information based on facts.
However, he advised that the research should not be used to interpret fish species extinction in commercial terms.
Millions of Africans may lose a key source of livelihoods as a fifth of freshwater African species are threatened with extinction, the updated Red List of endangered species showed Thursday.
William Darwall, a manager of the IUCN fresh water biodiversity unit, warned that if the loss of these species is not reversed, not only will the richness of Africa’s biodiversity be lost, but million of people will lose their source of income and food.
Lake Victoria stretches across the three east African countries of Uganda Kenya and Tanzania. The other lakes on the red list were Cameroon’s Barombi Mbo.