Yesterday I confirmed the rediscovery of Allochromis in the Lake Victoria
region. We found it in Lake Nawampassa, S.B. Wandera of the Ugandan
Fisheries Research Institute was the first to report it. A second specimen
was collected by our student, Audrey Armoudlian, who worked with S.B. and
the rest of the team on our most recent expedition to the lake. This is the
famed scale-eater, thought endemic to Lake Victoria alone. It is believed
to be extinct everywhere else, though it formerly occurred over much of
Lake Victoria, and based on this record, probably Lake Kyoga as well. We
also discovered that there is another species of piscivore in Lake
Nawampassa, which appears in gross body plan to conform to taxa placed by
Greenwood in Harpagochromis. Thus Nawampassa contains the piscivorous
morphotypes Harpagochromis, Prognathochromis (Prognathochromis),
Prognathochromis (Tridontochromis) and Pyxichromis. The subgenus/ecomorph
Tridontochromis has also been missing in action. Other taxa in the lake
include new species of Haplochromis, several paedophages representing both
subgenera of Lipochromis, and many others, some very brilliantly colored.
In light of these discoveries, I feel that Lake Nawampassa and the other
Kyoga satellite lakes (some of which contain bits and pieces of this fauna)
represent one of the highest freshwater conservation priorities in the
world. Anything that we can, as a community, do to assist Uganda in
preserving this priceless, "lost world" refugium of Lake Victoria Region
fishes would be worth our effort.
SO.....
It would be really helpful if we could place tracers on the sources of
material being shipped to Europe and North America from this lake.
Established collectors in the region who had been collecting and shipping
under tight ethical guidelines, are no longer in business. Who are the
EUROPEAN collectors and dealers now? I am told that these fishes are
selling for up to 50 US dollars a piece. That is a mark-up beyond belief.
It is my personal opinion that the Lake Kyoga haplochromine fauna should
be listed as CITES Appendix II, and that trade should be sharply restricted
in such a way that brood stock are captive-bred in Uganda, and the profits
of the sale of these beautiful aquarium fishes be returned as much as
possible to the region of origin, for application to the conservation of
these species in perpetuity. I invite comment on this proposal. I also
hope to avoid having to advocate such a draconian measure as this, it is
evidence that the aquarium fish community is incapable of regulating itself
in the interest of conservation. That should be a source of shame.
We must locate the European collectors. Somebody, and we don't know who,
appears to be really trashing Lake Nawampassa. These fishes, some like
Allochromis now limited to about one ONE THOUSANDTH of a percent of their
former range, are gravely endangered. Overcollection is not the only
threat, but it is certainly a major one. You can help change this.
Many of you have asked what you can do for conservation of aquarium fishes.
This is something you can do. Help me now. Identify everyone in the
chain of hands from Uganda to the home aquariums of Europe and North
America. I know the people lakeside and we do not want them hurt by this.
It is right and good that they should collect and sell these fishes as part
of a well-orchestrated, revenue-generating conservation scheme. But that is
not the way things are working at present. My colleagues in Uganda, and The
Commissioner of Fisheries in Uganda need this information, or there is
little that they can do directly to put things in order. Heiko Bleher,
anybody else who knows collectors in this region, the dealers in Europe,
the shippers: HELP NOW! Please. Uganda, the world, we are going to lose
these animals and this time, it will be the fault of everyone who knew
better, who knew they should have intervened when there was time. If we do
this right, something very good can come out of it, not only in terms of
extinction forestalled for the remnants of a rich and valuable fauna, but
also in terms of an aquarium fish cottage industry that can serve as a
model for the conservation of endangered freshwater species.
Comment and information are invited, but mostly the latter, please.
Les Kaufman
Boston University Marine Program
Department of Biology
Boston University
5 Cummington Street
Boston, MA 02215
e-mail: lesk at bio.bu.edu
phone: 617-353-5560
fax: 617-353-6340