Growth of urbanisation threatens fish habitat

ARUSHA: THE growth of urbanisation and industrialisation in Victoria Basin is destroying critical fish habitat and affects fish stocks for East African partner states, an expert has said.

Director of Fisheries Management and Development of Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO), Dr Rukuunya Edward revealed this recently in Arusha, when addressing members of Lake Victoria ECOFISH project steering committee at a workshop.

He said the fish projects especially in three EAC countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are faced with myriads of challenges including the destruction of fish habitat in Lake Victoria.

“Protection of fish habitat is key for fish breeding. We need to promote sustainable fishing and aquaculture in Lake Victoria for the benefit of the community,” he said.

According to him, improving sustainable fishing will benefit the East African Community. Dr Edward also disclosed that poor managed transboundary resources can lead to conflicts and social strife among partner states.

ECOFISH project in Lake Victoria Basin (LVB), a five-year plan which ends in December this year aims to conserve marine biodiversity, enhance ecosystem productivity and improve fisheries and related livelihoods in marine key biodiversity areas (MKBAs) using an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management to achieve social, economic and ecological sustainability.

In addition, according to the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) website, LVB is located in the upper reaches of the Nile River basin and comprises one of the world’s greatest complexes of lakes, wetlands, and rivers.

The basin has a catchment area of approximately 194,200Km square traversing through five East African countries of Tanzania (44 per cent); Kenya (22 per cent); Uganda (16 per cent); Rwanda (11 per cent) and Burundi (7 per cent).

The basin plays a major ecological, social and economic role and is central to the development and regional integration of EAC.

This is due to its rich resources such as fishery, biodiversity, extensive networks of rivers and wetlands, forests, fertile soils, wildlife, minerals, tourism, multimodal transport and communication.

According to LVB, the basin provides a myriad of environmental goods and services to approximately 45 million inhabitants’ majority of who derive their livelihood directly or indirectly rich natural resources around the basin.

The basin is therefore considered a unique area especially due to its environmental, cultural, scientific, socioeconomic, immense natural resources and huge investment potential.