The Future of an African Great Lake: Findings from a Multi-Method Assessment of Climate Change and Fisheries Management on Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania

Speaker:  Joan Brehm, Professor and Department Chair, Illinois State University

As one of the two largest African Great Lakes, Lake Tanganyika has a critical role in providing both sustenance and economic income for many communities. However, this inland fishery is increasingly under threat from climate change and unsustainable fishing pressures. The challenge in addressing declines in fish yields stems from complex interactions of human and natural conditions associated with changes in fish productivity and catch. Brehm will discuss a mixed methods approach employing scientific data on ecological changes along with local ecological knowledge to present a holistic understanding of factors affecting the fishery.

Findings indicate that fishers’ perception of changes to the fisheries are reasonably consistent with science-based observations. However, their decisions in relation to these changes are also influenced by complex socio-cultural variables. As a result, future management and policy approaches should prioritize the integration of local stakeholders and address alternative livelihoods and sustainable fishing practices that are grounded in culturally relevant systems.