CoEF project

Background

Kilombero Valley Floodplain (KVFP) is one of the areas with several endemic fishes that are declining dramatically due to pressures from agriculture and unsustainable fishing practices. Poor performance in fisheries continues despite establishing a 3-inch mesh regulation in 2009, along with several other enacted measures. To offset income loss resulting from declining fish catches, the government is currently promoting fish farming in the KVFP. However, due to a lack of reliable seed sources, most farmers obtain fingerlings either from the wild or from nearby fish farms. As a result, farmers have been complaining about poor growth and yield, which could be caused by the use of poor seeds from unreliable sources.

Research project

The main aim of this project is to assess the genetic stock structure of farmed and wild fish stocks in the KVFP.  Information on the genetic stock structure of endemic fishes in the KVFP is essential in the selection of suitable conservation strategies in order to improve management decisions.

Project activities