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Invasive Species Project

Student Name

Date

Lates niloticus (Nile perch)

Classification

Scientific Name: Lates niloticus

Common Name: Nile perch

Order: Perciformes

Class: Osteichthyes

Phylum: Chordata

Kingdom: Animalia

Distribution

Where is it from? Where, when, and why was it introduced? Where can it be found today?

• Native to Lake Chad, Nile River, Zaire River, and Niger River

• Introduced to Lake Victoria in 1950s

• Now present in huge numbers throughout Lake Victoria

Effects on people

How do people use or interact with this species? What, if any, consequences are there for humans?

• Huge increase in food availability for locals

• Decline of small fisheries and increase in large fishing operations

• Increase in fish exports, providing more money and jobs

Effects on ecosystems

What changes have been observed in the ecosystem since the species’ introduction? How have other organisms been affected?

• Extinction of 200 species of cichlids• Four-fold increase in algae levels, which has

reduced oxygen availability within the lake• Increase in number of insects (prey of cichlids)• Deforestation (wood needed to process Nile

perch)

Reasons for success

What information can you find about the species that might explain why it is successful in its new environment? (e.g. habitat needs, role within ecosystem, etc.)

• No natural predators in Lake Victoria

• Large, powerful fish-easily catches fish and shrimp native to Lake Victoria

Issues for the future

Are there attempts to control the growth or spread of this species? What are the options? What are the trade-offs of each of these options?

• Governments and many local people do not wish to remove Nile perch

• Population of Nile perch may change depending on its food availability