Fisheries resources support livelihoods of fishing communities but are threatened by over-exploitation, habitat degradation, pollution, invasive species and climate change. Unlike the other threats, climate change has received limited consideration and reducing its risks requires appropriate adaptation strategies. This study used quantitative and qualitative methods to generate knowledge on fishers' perceptions of climate change, changes in climate variables and their impacts on livelihoods, adaptation strategies, constraints to adaptation and required interventions to promote adaptation strategies that would enable fishers to build resilience to sustain their livelihoods. We found that fishers were aware of changes in climate conditions manifested by unpredictable seasons, floods and droughts. Fishing remained the main livelihood activity. However, the dominance of fishes had changed from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) to the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus Burchell). Floods and droughts were associated with damage to gears, boats, landing sites and changes in fish catches and sizes, income from fishing and fish consumption. The fishers adapted by increasing time on fishing grounds and changing target species and fishing gear among other things. Some innovative fishers diversified to high-value crops and livestock. This increased their income beyond what was solely earned from fishing which provided an incentive for some of them to quit fishing. Livelihood diversification was enhanced by use of communications technology, membership of social groups, increasing fishing days and fishing experience. Adaptation was, however, constrained by limited credit, awareness and access to land, which require interventions such as improving access to credit, irrigation facilities, appropriate planting materials and awareness raising. We identified adaptation strategies, which if promoted and their constraints addressed, could increase resilience of fishers to the influence of climate change and sustain their livelihoods.

Studies to examine the prevalence of water-related diseases, cyanobacteria toxins and other health risks at landing beaches in the Ugandan portion of the Lake Victoria basin were carried out. Based on surveillance studies and other data sources in the region, water samples were analysed for indications of faecal contamination. The coliform numbers were generally high for most sampling sites, indicating significant water contamination. The wet seasons exhibited significantly higher coliform counts than the dry seasons for all lakeshore sample sites. This seasonal variation in coliform counts correlated positively with the incidence of waterborne diseases, which are typically higher in the wet season. The water supply for domestic consumption for the Lake Victoria riparian communities is mainly the lake itself. The most prevalent diseases associated with the landing sites include malaria, dysentery, diarrhoea and bilharzia. Malaria was most prevalent, followed by dysentery, in all the studied districts. Many people in the catchment dispose of faecal wastes in lakeshore area bushes, or in polythene bags, contaminating water sources with faecal material, and resulting in waterborne diseases. The vulnerability of lakeside communities to water-related diseases is further aggravated by low accessibility to health facilities and personnel. Further, cyanobacteria (potentially toxic to humans and animals) dominate other algal species in Lake Victoria, contributing >50% of the algal biomass. Algal blooms occurred frequently in Murchison Bay, a source of drinking water for the city of Kampala and surrounding urban centres. Algal blooms can cause unpleasant odours and tastes in domestic water supplies, clog pump and machinery filters, increase chlorine demands for water disinfection, and necessitate more complex and expensive treatment processes. The findings of this study suggest improved water quality, changes in sanitation and hygiene behaviour could significantly reduce the prevalence of water-related diseases and cyanotoxins in the Ugandan portion of the Lake Victoria basin.

The Lake Victoria basin has experienced a myriad of environmental changes leading to its degradation, and necessitating various interventions to be implemented. The purpose of this study was to review early development initiatives, past and ongoing interventions in order to document experiences and lessons learned from them. The methods used in this study include review of published articles, project reports, and personal opinions of experts and project implementers in the lake basin. There are numerous threats to the lake basin, the major ones being poor land use and agricultural practices, catchment deforestation, destruction of wetlands, pollution loading, fishing malpractices and invasion by exotic aquatic weeds. These threats have resulted in rampant land and wetland degradation, leading to poor water quality and consequent water loss, a decline in the diversity of the commercial fisheries, and the lake's biodiversity in general, unsustainable use of natural resources, increased poor human health and food insecurity, with high levels of poverty among the riparian communities. Initiatives for socio-economic development within the lake basin began as early as the turn of the 20th century, while intervention studies started as early as the 1920s. Current lake management intervention projects, such as the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP), undertaken by the riparian states of the East African Community, have invested heavily in the lake basin, with the goal of addressing the above-noted threats to the lake. Some pilot projects undertaken through the LVEMP include: (i) water quality and quantity monitoring; (ii) industrial and municipal management; (iii) fisheries studies; (iv) water hyacinth control; (v) wetlands; (vi) land use; (vii) catchment afforestation; and (viii) micro-projects to alleviate poverty, to cite a few examples. Phase 1 of the LVEMP was a major effort in the history of the lake basin; hence, its critical examination. To this end, this study highlights, in chronological order, the experiences, achievements, challenges and lessons learned with regard to Phase 1 of the LVEMP.

Vibrio cholerae, a bacterium that causes cholera, poses a human health risk when consumed via untreated or contaminated water. Monthly investigations into the presence of V. cholerae from Lakes Albert, George and Victoria were conducted, with the goal being to examine the relationship between the occurrences of V. cholerae with various water quality parameters at fish landing sites in major water bodies in Uganda. The pH, temperature and electrical conductivity were measured at three fishing sites in each of the three study lakes; namely Gabba in Lake Victoria, Butiaba in Lake Albert and Kayanzi in Lake George. The pH values varied from 7.76 to 9.36 at Butiaba, 8.68 to 9.85 at Kayanzi and 6.6 to 9.88 at Ggaba. The temperature ranged from 17.9 to 32.3 °C at Butiaba, 22.5 to 29 °C at Kayanzi and 18.2 to 30.5 °C at Ggaba. The electrical conductivity ranged from 129.2 to 984 μS cm−1 at Butiaba, 658 to 1090 μS cm−1 at Kayanzi and 119 to 218 μS cm−1 at Ggaba, for Lakes Albert, George and Victoria, respectively. Enrichment techniques were used to detect culturable V. cholerae on TCBS culture media. Seventy‐five (75%) of the samples (n = 90) were positive for V. cholera. The occurrence of V. cholerae was positively associated with water quality parameters over the 10‐month period of study. Vibrio cholerae was more frequently detected during the dry season (warmer) than during the wet season. These study results suggest the investigated study lakes are natural reservoirs for V. cholerae.

Water quality and fish species are studied in selected catchments of Lake Victoria. The major aim of the study is to establish the relationship between the environmental quality and fish communities in the selected study sites of Lake Victoria. Physico-chemical characteristics of water in selected sites were determined on-site while nutrients and heavy metals were determined in the laboratory using standard methods. Fish samples were collected using experimental multifilament gillnets with varying mesh sizes. Fish identification was done using external morphological characteristics and identification keys. Physico-chemical results in Thruston bay revealed rise in water column temperature and turbidity as compared to those measured by earlier studies on the lake. Dissolved oxygen (DO) ranged from 0.9 mg L -1 in Yala catchment to 11.56 mg L -1 in Thruston bay. Phosphorus (P) ranged from 9.78 g L -1 to 120.67 g L -1 in Thruston bay and in Yala catchment, it ranged from 185.2 g L -1 to 1526.9 g L -1. The nitrate-nitrogen loading in the Geita catchment ranged from 130 to 7465 kg N between the years 2006 and 2008. The results in the inshore sites show a potential for higher photosynthetic rates than in the offshore sites implying that there is more food for the fish in the inshore sites than in the offshore sites. Results further reveal that in Thruston bay there are 13 fish species and Haplochromines dominate the fish catch in terms of numbers. Heavy metals including mercury resulting from artisanal and commercial gold mining in the Geita study site were also detected in the discharges into the lake. This paper also presents measures for the sustainable management of the lake environment, its quality and fisheries.