The last snapshot of natural pelagic fish assemblage in Lake Turkana, Kenya: A hydroacoustic study

Muška, Milan; Vašek, Mojmír; Modrý, David; Jirků, Miloslav; Ojwang, William; Malala, John; Kubečka, Jan

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2011.11.014

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The dampening of the inflow hydrograph and associated lake cycles by the Gibe hydropower dams must thus inevitably adversely affect the lake's aquatic productivity (Avery, 2009;Muska et al, 2012;Avery 2012;. The lake is an "erratic ecological system" and its natural erratic behaviour stimulates the lake's natural resilience (Kolding, 1992).…”

Section: The Regulation Of the Omo River Hydrograph By The Gibe Damsrmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lake Turkana, major Omo River developments, associated hydrological cycle change and consequent lake physical and ecological change

Avery

Tebbs

2018

Journal of Great Lakes Research

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Section: The Regulation Of the Omo River Hydrograph By The Gibe Damsrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There have been repeated warnings that the Omo River and Lake Turkana's ecological diversity will in turn be critically affected (e.g., Ministry of Water Development, 1992;Woodroofe et al, 1996;Avery, 2010;Muska et al, 2012). The challenges emulate those of Lake Chad in Central Africa.…”

Section: Draft To Editor 04 Oct 2017 2 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lake Turkana, major Omo River developments, associated hydrological cycle change and consequent lake physical and ecological change

Avery

Tebbs

2018

Journal of Great Lakes Research

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“…The open water fishes H. forskalli , A. baremoze and Brycinus spp . also showed heavy declines during this period (Kolding, ; Kolding, ; Muška et al ., ). These declines could not be linked to fishing, however, as there was no pelagic fishery in the lake during that time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The lake's water levels declined rapidly from the end of the 1970s to the end of the 1980s, leading to changes in the structure of the lake's food web (Kolding, 1993b) and contributing to the population declines of several fish species (Kolding, 1995;Muška et al, 2012). Populations of two of the lake's initial commercially important potamodromous species, C. citharinus and D. niloticus, collapsed early, possibly due to a combination of overfishing and falling water levels (Kolding, 1995; Figure 3).…”

Section: Fisheries Trends and Driversmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lake Turkana has been described as the “least studied and understood” of the African Great Lakes (Kolding, ). Although there have been several recent studies on the lake's fish and fisheries (e.g., KMFRI, ; KMFRI, ; Muška et al ., ; Gownaris et al ., ), considerable research effort is needed before the impacts of upstream development can be comprehensively understood. It has been proposed that research efforts should focus on understanding the effect of hydrological changes and their concomitant ecological impacts (Avery, ; Velpuri & Senay, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fisheries and water level fluctuations in the world's largest desert lake

et al. 2016

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Hydrological regimes are significant drivers of fisheries production in many African Lakes due to their influence on fish habitat and food availability, breeding success, and catchability. Lake Turkana, Kenya, will undergo substantial changes in hydrology due to water regulation and extraction along the Omo River in neighboring Ethiopia, which provides over 90% of its water. The objective of this study was to predict how the lake's fisheries, which provide an important livelihood and protein source in the region, will respond to hydrological change. While variations in fishing effort are poor predictors of fisheries catch in the lake, water levels and their fluctuations strongly influence fisheries production. Seasonal oscillations play a particularly important role, and with complete loss of these oscillations, the lake's predicted fisheries yield will decrease by over two thirds. The fishery is predicted to collapse at a lake level decline of 25 m, regardless of seasonal amplitude magnitude. The lake's total littoral habitat, where fisheries are currently concentrated, will increase in surface area with lake level declines of <25 m. However, the extent of productive, dynamic littoral habitat will decrease with dampening of the lake's seasonal oscillations. The most severe habitat loss will occur in the lake's Turkwel Sector, which hosts the region's highest human population densities, and North Sector, where inter‐tribal conflict over resources is common and likely to be exacerbated by lake level decline. The continued ecological functioning of Lake Turkana necessitates immediate efforts to develop and apply a water resource management plan rooted in science.

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