A total of 289 fish were analysed in this study, with Caradina nilotica (44%) being the dominant food item in their diet, while tilapia (8%) contributed the least. Haplochromines, unidentified fish prey and juvenile Nile perch also were observed. An ontogenic shift was observed, with C. nilotica contributing highest (61.1%) of the diet of fingerlings, but decreasing to 21% in the diet of adults. Nile perch contributed 35.7% of the diet in the adults and 8.1% in the fingerlings. This study indicates Nile perch is a predatory fish, feeding mainly on C. nilotica, haplochromines, tilapia, Nile perch and other fish materials.
Data used in this study was collected daily between January 2011 and April 2016 from four fish landing beaches along the shores of Lake Naivasha; Central, Karagita, Kamere and Tarambete beaches. The results revealed that the total landings of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus has been gradually increasing from a 0% in 2011 to 42.7% (206.923 tons) of the total landings between January and April 2016 (422.613 tons) with projections of it surpassing carp by December 2016. These findings corroborate regular field observations which indicate that fishermen are abandoning carp fisheries, opting for Nile tilapia due to its high demand and increased market returns. Between January and April 2016, Nile tilapia had an average price per kg of KShs 147.52 compared to carp's KShs 122.93. The study therefore concludes that the re-introduction of O. niloticus in 2011 has achieved its main objectives of food security and improving livelihoods since the fish has completely established itself and is now the key driver of Lake Naivasha fishery.
Fish and other aquatic organisms have been introduced into new environments for various reasons. Provision of sports fishery, supplemental to stocks, to fill empty niches, control weeds, and disease vectors and even create a commercial fishery are some of the reasons why fish species are introduced into new ecosystems. Lake Victoria and Lake Naivasha in Kenya have seen several introductions as discussed in this paper. In Lake Victoria for example, some of the species introduced include Nile perch, Lates niloticus, Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, Tilapia zilii, and Oreochromis esclentus among others. The most successful introductions have been that of the Nile perch, Nile tilapia and water hyacinth. Lake Naivasha too has witnessed a number of introductions into its fisheries too. Some of the successful introductions into the lake are those of the Common carp, Cyprinus carpio, the largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, the Nile tilapia, O. niloticus and Louisiana red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkia. Aside from the fish species mentioned, some invasive plant species have also been introduced into these two lake ecosystems. Of notable success and impacts have been the water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes and Nile cabbage, Pistia stratiotes. These introductions have had both negative and positive impacts on the fisheries and the ecology of the two lakes. Some of the impacts have been predation on the native species by the introduced species like in the case of Nile perch and largemouth bass in Lake Victoria and Naivasha respectively. Competition for resources and hybridization with the native species has also been witnessed in the case of the tilapiines in the two lakes with undesirable results. Blockage of navigation routes caused by the invasive plants has been a major problem in the two lakes sometimes leading to massive postharvest losses by the fishermen. On the other hand, some introduced species have led to an increase in fish landings as well as utilization of the niches that were initially vacant within these ecosystems. It can therefore be concluded that introduced species often have more negative effects on the native species and therefore such introductions should be based on sound scientific research in order to minimize their effects within the new environments.
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