Lake Malawi is believed to contain more endemic fish species than any other lake in the world and the species are estimated to be 450–600 species (Genneret al. 2004a). The rocky habitats of Lake Malawi are dominated by the mbunagroup of cichlid fish. The mbuna do not cross into other habitats like the sandy shoreline or deep waters.However as a consequence of the aquriumexport trade, some varieties of mbunahave been translocatedfrom their native localities and released at sites where they do not naturally belong e.g. since 1996, 12 varieties of mbunahave been recorded at NkhataBay that were absent from previous surveys (Genneret al., 2006).
The possible dangers of fish translocation may be competition and hybridization. It is the aim of this blogger to understand the implications of fish translocations within Lake Malawi.
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