Uganda: Climate change shrinking fish

| September 7, 2015

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Scientists believe that the changing climate is reducing the size of several species of fish in Uganda’s lakes.

Studies conducted on inland lakes in Uganda, including Lake Victoria, indicate that indigenous fish species have shrunk in size because of warmer water temperatures.

Dr. Jackson Efitre is a lecturer in fisheries management and aquatic sciences at Makerere University in Kampala. He says: “What we are seeing in Lake Victoria and other lakes is a shift in the composition of fish … fish stocks [are now] dominated by small fish. This means … [the small fish] are … adapting well to the changed conditions.”

In Uganda, the fisheries sector employs more than a million people, generates over US$100 million in exports, and provides about 50 per cent of Ugandans’ dietary protein.

To read the full article, go to: http://www.ipsnews.net/2015/08/climate-change-shrinking-ugandas-lakes-and-fish/

Photo: Studies show that indigenous fish species in Uganda – here being caught on Lake Victoria – have shrunk in size due to an increase in water temperature as a result of climate change. Credit: Wambi Michael/IPS