Nile perch

Nile perch (Lates niloticus) is a large predatory freshwater fish native to African rivers and lakes. It is known for its introduction into Lake Victoria and its effects on the lake’s ecology and fisheries.

Lates: Lates is a genus of predatory fishes in the family Latidae, found in freshwater, brackish, and marine habitats. Nile perch is the best-known freshwater member of this genus.
Predation: Predation is an interaction in which one organism kills and consumes another. Nile perch exerts strong top-down pressure by consuming other fish.
Lake Victoria: Lake Victoria is a large African lake bordered by Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. The lake became the most consequential site of Nile perch introduction and commercial fishing.
Lake Victoria fisheries: Lake Victoria fisheries are the commercial and subsistence fisheries operating on Africa’s largest lake. Nile perch supports a major fishery supplying local markets and export industries.
Rainbow trout: Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a salmonid fish native to western North America and widely introduced elsewhere. Like Nile perch, it became a valuable introduced fish with ecological effects in new waters.
Latidae: Latidae is a family of percomorph fishes that includes the genus Lates. This family places Nile perch among related large-bodied predatory fishes.
Trophic cascade: A trophic cascade is an ecological effect that propagates through a food web when organisms at one trophic level change in abundance. Changes in Nile perch abundance can alter prey populations and their ecological effects.
Lake Albert: Lake Albert is a freshwater lake on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is part of the Nile system and lies within Nile perch’s native range.
Haplochromine cichlids: Haplochromine cichlids are a diverse group of cichlid fishes, including many species native to African Great Lakes. Many Lake Victoria haplochromines declined sharply after Nile perch became abundant.
Brown trout: Brown trout (Salmo trutta) is a salmonid fish native to Europe and western Asia, widely introduced to other regions. Its global introductions provide a comparison with Nile perch’s African lake impacts.

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