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The Nile Perch in Lake Victoria: Local Responses and Adaptations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Robert M. Pringle
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Abstract

Introduced into Lake Victoria in the 1950s, the Nile perch has gained fame for prompting rapid regional economic growth and for driving scores of endemic fish species into extinction. This study uses oral and archival data to trace the historical development of the Nile perch fishery on Lake Victoria. Particular emphasis is placed on local responses and adaptations to (1) the Nile perch itself; (2) the abrupt integration of the Lake Victoria fishery with the global economy; and (3) the ecological changes that the Nile perch has precipitated. I also attempt to situate Lake Victoria's history in the larger debate about environment and African livelihoods. Because so much of Lake Victoria's species diversity has been lost within one generation – biologist E. O. Wilson (1992) has called this process ‘the most catastrophic extinction episode of recent history’ – the lake is an ideal case study with which to examine ‘local’ perceptions of biodiversity. The data suggest that species diversity is important and highly resolved in the worldviews of Lake Victoria's fishermen; yet, although the will for conservation is present, poverty obstructs its realization. These findings are discussed in relation to other work on indigenous environmental knowledge and ecological ethics. I argue that ‘intrinsic’ valuation of species diversity and ecological processes may be more widespread in rural societies than has traditionally been assumed by natural and social scientists, and that the preponderance of social studies highlighting oppositions between Western science and ethno-science, and between conservation concerns and local livelihoods, may have blinded us to synergies between them. More effort is needed to understand fully the nuances in these complex local ecological worldviews, perhaps via ‘social histories of extinction’ that explore the local consequences of species loss.

Résumé

Introduite dans le lac Victoria dans les années 50, la perche du Nil est célèbre pour avoir insufflé une croissance économique régionale rapide et pour avoir entraîné l'extinction de quantités d'espèces de poissons endémiques. Cette étude se sert de données orales et d'archives pour retracer l'évolution historique de la pêche de la perche du Nil sur le lac Victoria. Elle met l'accent sur les réponses et adaptations locales à (1) la perche du Nil ellem ême, (2) la brusque intégration de la pêche du lac Victoria dans l'économie mondiale et (3) les changements écologiques précipités par la perche du Nil. L'étude tente également de situer l'histoire du lac Victoria dans le débat plus large de l'environnement et des moyens de subsistance en Afrique. Compte tenu de l'ampleur de la perte de diversité d'espèces du lac Victoria en une génération (processus que le biologiste E. O. Wilson (1992) a qualifié d'≫épisode d'extinction le plus catastrophique de l'histoire récente≪), le lac est une étude de cas idéale pour examiner les perceptions ≫locales≪ de la biodiversité. Les données suggèrent que la diversité des espèces est importante et fortement résolue dans la vision du monde qu'ont les pêcheurs du lac Victoria; néanmoins, même si le désir de conservation est présent, la pauvreté gêne sa réalisation. L'article présente ces observations en les rapprochant d'autres travaux menés sur la connaissance de l'environnement et l'éthique écologique. Il affirme que la valorisation ≫intrinsèque≪ de la diversité des espèces et des processus écologiques peut être plus répandue dans les sociétés rurales que ne le suggèrent traditionnellement les scientifiques naturels et sociaux, et que la prépondérance des études sociales soulignant des oppositions entre la science occidentale et l'ethnoscience d'une part, et entre le souci de conserver et les moyens de subsistance locaux d'autre part, peut nous avoir empêché de voir les synergies qui les animent. D'autres études sont nécessaires pour comprendre pleinement les nuances de ces visions du monde écologiques locales complexes, peut-être à travers des ≫histoires sociales de l'extinction≪ qui examineraient les conséquences locales de la perte d'espèces.

Type
Articles
Information
Africa , Volume 75 , Issue 4 , November 2005 , pp. 510 - 538
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2005

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