Large-scale study: Congolese fishermen report decline in fish stocks on Lake Tanganyika

Fishermen working on Lake Tanganyika in eastern Congo experience a lack of safety and want better enforcement of existing regulations. They also report a decline in the lake’s fish stocks. These are some of the findings of a large international study led by KU Leuven based on 1018 interviews with stakeholders in the area. The study was published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research.

Lake Tanganyika is the second largest freshwater lake in the world and is located in four countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, and Zambia. The fisheries on the lake play a vital role in providing food to eastern Congo, one of the poorest regions in the world.

Exploitation of natural resources and pollution put the fish stocks under pressure. ...