These Yellow People will finish us all …
The Nile Perch , a strong, fast-swimming predator that can grow to the size of a man , was introduced to Lake Victoria in the 1950s.
Due to illegal fishing and overfishing to meet Chinese demand for Maw , their stocks in Lake Victoria are severely depleted.
The Nile Perch Swim Bladder - or Maw - is an internal gas-filled organ that contributes to the ability of some types of the fish to control its buoyancy.
In China , Maw is considered a delicacy and is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products with dubious medical claims of protecting the kidneys , boosting stamina and treating lung issues and anemia.
The TCM-driven demand for Maw is contributing to food and economic insecurity for Kenyan , Tanzanian , and Ugandan communities that depend on Lake Victoria’s fish stocks.
On average , Fish Maws can command a retail value of between USD: 127 and USD: 287 per kilogram.
Hundreds of Lake Victoria’s fish species have gone extinct in the past three decades due to overfishing , illegal fishing , deforestation and pollution.
Let us see what solutions our new CS for the Marine and Blue Economy , Ali Hassan Joho and CS “Mama Miti” Soipan Tuya will come up with to deal with this new challenge.
