Synthesising indigenous & scientific knowledge in fisheries management

The book highlights the ecological stress facing the Lake Victoria fishery and the near-extinction of many of its indigenous fish species. Globalization of the fishery and application of scientific and modern management options, have deepened the ecological degradation of the fishery and the entire lacustrine ecosystem. Neither has the co-managerial governance system of the fishery attained its expected outcomes. Therefore, the book examines local fishers’ knowledge in an attempt to revamp indigenous fish species facing extinction due to deleterious modern fishing methods targeting the expanded local, regional and global markets. Semi-structured interviews and case histories were used to collect data from active and veteran fishers to examine their knowledge on intrinsic and extrinsic aspects of the fish species, and the abiotic conditions of the ecosystem. The book concludes that integration of indigenous and scientific knowledge, and use of environmentally-sensitive traditional fishing methods and practices can restore indigenous fish fauna through community-based conservation initiatives.