Nile Perch Fish Life Threatened in the Second World Largest Freshwater Lake

Lake Victoria fishermen have raised alarm over the unexplained deaths of fish in the second largest freshwater lake in the world. Residents around the lake risk losing their livelihoods as a result of the death of Nile perch, locally referred as mbuta.

Lake Victoria traverses three East African countries namely Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The Lake is documented as Africa’s largest lake by size and the second largest freshwater lake in the world, after Lake Superior in North America. 

The cause of the death is not yet known as residents call for government intervention. According to the Daily Nation report, the situation is more worrying on the Ugandan side and some parts of Nyanza in Kenya. The death fish were found on January floating in water at Kigungu and Gerenge, in Entebbe, Uganda.

A similar case was reported in Mwanza, Tanzania where natives described the fish swimming at the surface as “drunk.” In Kenya, the places that reported fish deaths are beaches in Mbita and Suba sub-counties in Homa Bay County.

Deputy Director of Fresh Water Systems Research at KEMFRI Dr Chris Aura argued that the deaths could be attributed to lack of sufficient oxygen. KEMFRI had earlier ruled out poisoning as the cause of the death. Aura observed that the death fish had rotten gills that implied “prolonged suffocation.”

“This normally occurs when there is sudden change of weather affecting the lake. The stronger the water mixes, the more the fish die,” stated Dr. Aura.