The impact of exploitation, competition, and predation on the changing stocks of Lake Victoria

The dramatic decline in fish species diversity in Lake Victoria has been attributed to predation by Nile perch, Lates niloticus Linne, without sufficient justification. Exploitation, interspecific competition and hybridization had profound impact on the decline of the indigenous commercial fish species. The roles of exploitation, competition and hybridization, and of predation by the Nile perch on changes in species diversity have been discussed. Lates was largely responsible only for the decline of the haplochromine stocks.