Importance of trading fish
Nile perch fillets packed for export |
Lake Victoria is a commercial, but artisanal fishery. Many people fish on the lake, using locally made canoes, with gillnets or hooks, or light fishing for dagaa. However, it is principally a commercial fishery. Whilst some fish is used for home consumption, most of it is traded, in local, regional and international markets. The three main species caught on the lake – Tilapia, Nile perch and dagaa - have different trading patterns in the lake basin and beyond.
Many people benefit from the trading and local processing of fish as the main source of household income and around 40% of local traders are women – emphasising the importance of the activity for household income and poverty reduction.
Local fish trade
The Nile tilapia and dagaa are the most important species in this trading segment, though some Nile perch also serves the local market. Nile tilapia is either sold fresh or smoked and makes an important contribution to food security within the region, as well as for the fishing communities themselves.
Regional fish trade
Packing dagaa in bags |
The most important species in this market segment is dagaa which are dried and find considerable export markets in the region and elsewhere on the African continent. Dried dagaa is traded by hundreds of small operators around the lake and is known to be exported as far as South Africa, Malawi and Sudan, with one of the main regional markets being the Democratic Republic of Congo. Salted and smoked tilapia and Nile perch by-products also go to the regional markets, principally the Democratic Republic of Congo. Regional trade in fish and fish products provides substantial income, employment and revenue, as well as contributing to food security.
International fish trade
The burgeoning international trade in the Nile perch has been the principal agent of change in the Lake Victoria fisheries in recent years. Nile perch was introduced to Lake Victoria in the 1950s, but it was not until the mid-1970s that the quantity of the fish in the catch was noticed at the expense of many other previously dominant fish. By the early 1990s, industrial processing plants had been established in all Partner States. The European Union imports about 80% of the total production of Nile perch. Each week in 2005, around 600 – 800 tonnes of Nile perch fillets were consumed in the EU.
The export of Nile perch has brought considerable benefits to the region, in terms of employment, income and contribution to foreign exchange earnings. In a region where there are insufficient employment opportunities and trade in agricultural products is difficult, Nile perch makes a substantial contribution to development. Other benefits include the improving hygiene and fish handling standards at the landing sites, bringing health benefits and improving the quality of fish destined for local and regional markets.
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Fisheries Management Plan 
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