Species changes and fisheries in African lakes: outline of the issues

Abstract

The work presented in this book attempts to assess the impact of species changes in African lakes engendered by: introduction of fish species; impoundment; heavy exploitation. All three of these factors have impinged recently on one or more African lakes and have led to large sustained changes in species composition: the objective of all authors in this book is to evaluate the impacts of these changes. Such evaluation needs a broad multidisciplinary perspective encompassing insight into both biological and human consequences of species change. On the biological side we evaluate faunal, ecological, habitat and genetic changes. The human aspects cover assessment, management, economics and socia-econmics of fisheries for both introduced and endemic species. It is generally forgotten that the Rio Convention (UN Conference on Environment and Development) formulated two objectives: in addition to the often-quoted preservation of biodiversity, the convention advocated sustainable use. This book attempts to provide a balanced view of these two objectives for the fisheries in African lakes.