National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI)
Abstract
The first fishery survey of Lake Victoria was conducted
between 1927 and 1928 (Graham 1929). Atthat time,
the lake had a diverse fish fauna and the fishery was
dominated by two endemic tilapiine cichlids;
Oreochromis esculentus (Graham 1929) and O.
variabilis (Boulenger 1906). There were a number of
other species such as Protopterus aethiopicus Heckel
1851, Bagrus docmac (Forsk.) 1775, Clarias gariepinus
(Burchell), Barbus species, mormyrids, Synodontis spp,
Schilbe intermedius (Linn.) 1762 and Rastrineobola
argentea Pellegrin, 1904 that were also abundant in
the lake most of which made a significant contribution to
the fishery (Graham 1929, Worthington 1929, 1932,
Kudhongania & Cordone 1974). Haplochromine cichlids
were represented by at least 300 species more than
99% of them endemic (Greenwood, 1974; Witte et al.,
1992 a & b). The fishery of Lake Victoria was similar to
that of lakes Kyoga and Nabugabo (Worthington 1929;
Trewavas 1933; Greenwood 1965, 1966; Beadle 1962,
1981).
There were also important fisheries on the inflowing rivers of Lake Victoria, the most important of which were Labeo victorianus and Barbus altianalis (Cadwallader 1965). The small sized species notably Rastrineobola argentea
and haplochromines cichlids were not originally commercially exploited