"Fish and Fisheries in Lake Malawi" - Vortrag in der Gießener Geograpischen Gesellschaft von Prof. Dr. Olaf Weyl

Lake Malawi is a global biodiversity hotspot containing more fish species than any other lake in the world. The fisheries and their associated value chains are a source of food security and livelihoods for a large portion of the lakeshore communities. Population growth and increased commercialization of the fisheries in the 1990s caused overfishing. First, the larger higher value fish species were depleted and the fishery rapidly switched to smaller, less valuable species. Although this switch initially sustained catches, these smaller species were also eventually depleted. The collapse in fisheries resulted in the realization that the top-down management had failed to ensure sustainable utilization. As a result, a number of co-management projects were initiated with support from a variety of donors. The lecture is based on experiences of the National Aquatic Resource Management Programme.