The African lakes are an extremely important ecosystem and the subject of much study relating to species introductions and loss of biodiversity. This text examines the effect that species changes has on such ecosystems. It should be of interest to fish biologists, fisheries scientists, ecologists, freshwater biologists, conservation biologists and environmental scientists.

Table of Contents:
1 Species changes and fisheries in African lakes: outline of the issues.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Geographical scope of the book.- 1.3 Introduction of fish to African lakes.- 1.4 Establishment of introduced species.- 1.5 Impacts of fish introductions.- 1.6 Ecological models of fish introductions.- 1.7 Evaluation of the impacts of species changes.- 1.8 Mitigation of the impacts of species changes.- 1.9 General recommendations for development and assistance in African lake fisheries.- Acknowledgements.- References.- One Introduced Nile Perch in Lake Victoria: Impacts on Biodiversity and Evaluation of the Fishery.- 2 Impact of environmental change, species introductions and ecological interactions on the fish stocks of Lake Victoria.- 3 Limnological changes in Lake Victoria since the Nile perch introduction.- 4 Impact of fish species introductions on the tilapias of Lakes Victoria and Kyoga.- 5 Diversity and stability of fish stocks in Lakes Victoria, Kyoga and Nabugabo after establishment of introduced species.- 6 Dynamics of the haplochromine cichlid fauna and other ecological changes in the Mwanza Gulf of Lake Victoria.- 7 An analysis of species changes in Lake Victoria: did the Nile perch act alone.- 8 Analysis of species changes in Lake Victoria using ECOPATH, a multispecies trophic model.- 9 Assessment of the Nile perch fishery in Lake Victoria.- 10 Thirty years on: the development of the Nile perch fishery in Lake Victoria.- 11 Socio-economic impacts of introduced species in Lake Victoria fisheries.- Two Evaluation of Species Changes in Other African Lakes with Introduced Fish Species.- 12 Inshore fish population and species changes in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe.- 13 The impact of an introduction of sardine into Lake Kivu.- 14 The persistence of two introduced tilapia species in Lake Naivasha, Kenya, in the face of environmental variability and fishing pressure.- 15 Species changes in reservoir fisheries following impoundment: the case of Lake Itezhi-tezhi, Zambia.- Three Evaluation of Species Changes in African Lakes without Introduced Species.- 16 Changes in species composition and abundance of fish populations in Lake Turkana, Kenya.- 17 Management, conservation and species changes of exploited fish stocks in Lake Mala?i.- 18 Changes in demersal cichlid communities as a result of trawling in southern Lake Mala?i.- 19 Changes in species composition and abundance as a consequence of fishing in Lake Malombe, Mala?i.- 20 Effects of exploitation on the pelagic fish community in the south of Lake Tanganyika.- 21 Changes in the pelagic fisheries of northern Lake Tanganyika during the 1980s.- Four Overviews of Fish Introductions in African Lakes.- 22 Genetic impacts of fish introductions: a perspective on African lakes.- 23 Thinking the unthinkable: a candidate model for predicting sustainable yields of introduced fish species in African lakes.- 24 Why is Limnothrissa miodon such a successful introduced species and is there anywhere else we should put it.- Appendix: Summary of characteristics of major Arican lakes.- Lake Albert (Mobutu).- Lake Bengweulu.- Lake Cahora Bassa.- Lake Chad.- Lake Chilwa.- Lake Edward (Idi Amin).- Lake George.- Lake Itezhi-tezhi (Kafue Gorge).- Lake Kainji.- Lake Kariba.- Lake Kivu.- Lake Kyoga.- Lake Mala?i (Nyasa).- Lake Mweru.- Lake Nasser/Nubia.- Lake Tanganyika.- Lake Turkana (Rudolf).- Lake Victoria.- Lake Volta.- References.- Author index.- Species index.