# Victorian Cichlids



## Bob1 (Jan 7, 2002)

What has caused the decline in the native cichlid population in Lake Victoria? Over fishing. pollution or the introduction of non native species.


----------



## pierremarsal (Feb 7, 2016)

Hi.

The main reason for the decline and disappearance of some species is the introduction of the Nile perch (Lates niloticus).
Note that the most affected species were Pelagic fish.

Commercial fishing has severely reduced the number of Nile perch in lake Victoria and the native Cichlids are making a comeback, with many rock dwelling species thriving along the shore.

PM


----------



## smitty (May 7, 2004)

It is sad people don't understand the planet was set up the way it was for a reason.


----------



## samaki (Oct 25, 2002)

Hi not only the perch, they were introduced because the fishes stocks were in decline due to commercial trawling, pollution, increasing numbers of people arround the shores, deforestation, not treated wastes rejected in the lake, over fishing.. are all contributing to the decline of some species


----------



## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

Rent "Darwin's Nightmare" if you want to be totally depressed. It is about how Russian and Ukrainian planes fly processed Nile perch fillets to Europe while the people of Tanzania starve. Of course, it is inefficient to fly empty cargo planes, so they deliver arms and ammunition to Africa and return with Nile perch fillets.


----------



## Bob1 (Jan 7, 2002)

Thanks, I needed reason to despise Putin!


----------



## samaki (Oct 25, 2002)

This movie is not a documentary movie but rather a propaganda film.. lol it failed to proove that arms were shipped by exhanging nile perch filets... it's not a good point to make its own mind about the situation there.
xris


----------



## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I don't think that the movie was making the point that fillets were swapped for weapons. Weapons were going to be shipped to Africa either way. I think that several points were being made: how the Lake Victoria fishery was being wrecked by a non-native fish, how people were starving in Africa while fish were being exported to Europe, how Nile perch upended the local economy, and how governments in Africa were wasting money on weapons instead of improving the lives of their citizens. As for the Russians and Ukrainians, they were just the crews of the chartered planes.

A member of one of the plane crews had a poignant line: "the children of Angola receive guns for Christmas, the children of Europe receive grapes".


----------



## NLaferriere (Jan 15, 2015)

Water hyacinth has choked out a pretty good chunk of the shoreline in some areas as well in Lake Victoria. Not sure if this helps or hinders the native species but by it blocking out the light can't be good.


----------

