To the Environmental Protection Agency,
As you are aware of, there is a rising threat that was introduced over 50 years ago in Lake Victoria. The massive and ravenous fish, Nile Perch was released by humans into Lake Victoria and was introduced to improve the fishing economy. They were brought from other African lakes like Lake Albert or Lake Turkana which the Nile Perch is indigenous to. According to National Geographic The Nile Perch was inserted into an ecosystem where it had no natural predator, and this allowed the Nile Perch population to exponentially grow. Within 50 years after the introduction, the Nile Perch knocked out 90% of cichlids, a native species in Lake Victoria. Not only that but the University of Columbia’s research states that by the 1980’s the Nile Perch made about 300 species go extinct with even more species being wiped out in recent developments. This lowers biodiversity in the ecosystem, which in turn hinders the amount of services an ecosystem can provide. As for the The other surviving species are on the brink of extinction aswell with the insatiable …show more content…
We can set rules and regulations for fishing in Lake Victoria, these regulations will help protect species on the brink of extinction and help control the Nile Perch population. Animal Planet states that, “the catch of Nile Perch in Lake Victoria has dropped 80%.” Even with overfishing in Lake Victoria the Nile Perch still aren’t being caught and has even dropped a whole 80% in recent years. I propose that fishermen have to throw back endangered species if caught, this will entice them to catch more NIle Perch so they can make a profit or meal. This may have a negative economic output but the solution is only temporary until the ecosystem can stabilize itself without the aid of
As you are aware of, there is a rising threat that was introduced over 50 years ago in Lake Victoria. The massive and ravenous fish, Nile Perch was released by humans into Lake Victoria and was introduced to improve the fishing economy. They were brought from other African lakes like Lake Albert or Lake Turkana which the Nile Perch is indigenous to. According to National Geographic The Nile Perch was inserted into an ecosystem where it had no natural predator, and this allowed the Nile Perch population to exponentially grow. Within 50 years after the introduction, the Nile Perch knocked out 90% of cichlids, a native species in Lake Victoria. Not only that but the University of Columbia’s research states that by the 1980’s the Nile Perch made about 300 species go extinct with even more species being wiped out in recent developments. This lowers biodiversity in the ecosystem, which in turn hinders the amount of services an ecosystem can provide. As for the The other surviving species are on the brink of extinction aswell with the insatiable …show more content…
We can set rules and regulations for fishing in Lake Victoria, these regulations will help protect species on the brink of extinction and help control the Nile Perch population. Animal Planet states that, “the catch of Nile Perch in Lake Victoria has dropped 80%.” Even with overfishing in Lake Victoria the Nile Perch still aren’t being caught and has even dropped a whole 80% in recent years. I propose that fishermen have to throw back endangered species if caught, this will entice them to catch more NIle Perch so they can make a profit or meal. This may have a negative economic output but the solution is only temporary until the ecosystem can stabilize itself without the aid of