The History of Lake Victoria’s Ecological Crisis

notes: I use the term “discovered“ to indicate when Non-Africans first saw the lake, this unfortunately perpetuates colonial biases in a story that is decidedly anti-colonial, it is something that I am working to contemplate and change in my newer content. Lake Victoria was once home to over 500 species of African Cichlid. However, when Nile Perch were introduced in the 1960s, 200 went extinct. Today some species are only found in aquariums, including home aquaria. At the time of making this video I have 5 species of Victorian Cichlids, The Christmas Fulu, Sp# 44 Thick Skin, Zebra obliquidens Juma Island pundamilia nyererei, and pundamilia macrocephala Sources -Chuck Rambo, August 1, 2015, “History of Cichlids in the Hobby,“ presented to the Sacramento Aquarium Society -Tijs Goldschmidt (1998). Darwin’s Dreampond: Drama in Lake Victoria. Trans. S. -Marx-Macdonald. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-57121-8. “Lake Victoria“. Encyclopædia Britannica. -Verheyen, Salzburger, Snoeks, and Meyer (2003). Origin of the Superflock of Cichlid Fishes from Lake Victoria, East Africa. Science 300: 325—329. -DeWeerdt, S. (28 February 2004). Dark secret of the lake. New Scientist. Retrieved 26 March 2017. -Lowe-McConnell, R. (2009). Fisheries and cichlid evolution in the African Great Lakes: progress and problems. Freshwater Reviews 2: 131-151. -J. M. Gee (1964). “Appendix A. Nile perch investigations“. EAFFRO Annual Report 1962/63. Jinja: East African Common Services Organization & East African Freshwater Fisheries Research Organisation. pp. 14–24. -Jan H. Wanink & Kees (P. C.) Goudswaard (1994). “Effects of Nile perch (Lates niloticus) introduction into Lake Victoria, East Africa, on the diet of Pied Kingfishers (Ceryle rudis)“. Hydrobiologia. 279–280 (1): 367–376. doi: -Pringle, R.M. (2005). The Origins of the Nile Perch in Lake Victoria. BioScience 55 (9): 780-787. -Tijs Goldschmidt; Frans Witte; Jan Wanink (1993). “Cascading effects of the introduced Nile perch on the detrivorous/phytoplantivorous species in sublittoral areas of Lake Victoria“. Conservation Biology. 7 (3): 686–700. JSTOR 2386700. doi: -Witte, Goldschmidt, Goudswaard, Ligtvoet, van Oijen & Wanink (1992). Species extinction and concomitant ecological changes in Lake Victoria. Netherlands Journal of Zoology 42(2-3): 214–232. doi -Kaufman, L. 1996. Haplochromis latifasciatus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. . Downloaded on 18 April 2013. -Witte; Msuku; Wanink; Seehausen; Katunzi; Goudswaard; and Goldschmidt (2000). Recovery of cichlid species in Lake Victoria: an examination of factors leading to differential extinction. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 10: 233—241. -Kateregga, E., & Sterner, T. (January 01, 2009). Lake Victoria Fish Stocks and the Effects of Water Hyacinth. Journal of Environment & Development, 18, 1, 62-78. -Albright, T. P., Moorhouse, T. G., & McNabb, T. J. (January 01, 2004). The Rise and Fall of Water Hyacinth in Lake Victoria and the Kagera River Basin, 1989-2001. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management, 42, 73-84. Wikipedia Sources Also thanks to The Victorian Cichlid Profiles on the Cichlid forum for Diet information regarding the species Music Don’t Look by Silent Partner
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