| Lake Nabugabo | |
|---|---|
  Lake Nabugabo | |
| Location | Masaka District |
| Coordinates | 00°22′12″S31°54′00″E / 0.37000°S 31.90000°E |
| Basin countries | Uganda |
| Max. length | 8.2 km (5.1 mi) |
| Max. width | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Surface area | 22,000 ha (54,000 acres) |
| Surface elevation | 1,180 m (3,870 ft) |
| Settlements | Masaka, Uganda |
| Official name | Lake Nabugabo wetland system |
| Designated | 11 February 2004 |
| Reference no. | 1373 [1] |
Lake Nabugabo is a small freshwater lake in Uganda.
The lake is in Masaka District, Central Region of Uganda, approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi), by road, east of the town of Masaka. [2]
Lake Nabugabo is a satellite lake of Lake Victoria, being only 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) away from its shores.
The area was chosen as a Ramsar Site (protected area) for its importance for the people and animals. [3]
High human population densities and a reliance on subsistence agriculture are reflected in the heavy dependency of the neighboring community on the lake ecosystem. The poor agricultural practices have impacts on the water quality and food production. [4]
Lake Nabugabo was formed as a result of sand dunes resulting from strong winds. This lake is separated from Lake Victoria by a sand bar. An analysis of a 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) long sediment core collected near the center of the lake showed that Lake Nabugabo was isolated from Lake Victoria about 5,000 years ago. [5]
Almost 300 plant species have been recorded. The catchment area is home to two endemic flowering plants not found elsewhere, and fourteen species in Uganda are known only in this area. The most striking character of the rare Nabugabo plants is the relative dominance of carnivorous plants. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
The fauna ecosystem consists of a wide variety of key animal communities. Hippopotamus and sitatunga are found. Among the birds, kingfishers and grey crowned crane are also found. [11] Lake Nabugabo is an important stop-over point for a number of species of migratory birds.
The Nabugabo lake system, which includes the main lake itself and the associated lakes Kayanja, Kayugi and Manywa (all separated from Lake Nabugabo by swamps), is rich in native fish, notably eight species of haplochromine cichlids: the endemic Haplochromis annectidens , H. beadlei , H. simpsoni , H. velifer and H. venator , while H. nubilus , Astatoreochromis alluaudi and Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor also are found in other lakes of the Great Lakes region. [12] [13] [14] As in Lake Victoria, the highly predatory Nile perch has been introduced to Nabugabo. However, while many of Lake Victoria's endemic haplochromines have become extinct, the endemic haplochromines of the Nabugabo lake system all survive, but they are considered threatened. [12] [13] Especially H. annectidens and H. venator have become rare, with the latter appearing to have disappeared from Lake Nabugabo itself, although it does survive in at least lakes Kayanja and Kayugi. [13] Nile perch has not been introduced to lakes Kayanja, Kayugi and Manywa, and they are important for the survival of the rare haplochromines. [12] [13] They also support populations of the threatened Singida tilapia, which has disappeared from Nabugabo and several other lakes in the Great Lakes region. [13] Two other species of the Great Lakes region, the widespread Bagrus docmak and the threatened Victoria tilapia, were formerly present in Lake Nabugabo and historically supported important fisheries. They appear to have disappeared from Lake Nabugabo and are not known to be present elsewhere in the Nabugabo lake system. [13] A handful of other fish are native to Lake Nabugabo and still live there, including marbled lungfish, Mastacembelus frenatus, Enteromius barbs, Sadler's robber tetra, silver butter catfish, Fischer's Victoria squeaker, longnose stonebasher, Victoria stonebasher and Petrocephalus catostoma. [13] In addition to the Nile perch, the blue-spotted tilapia, Nile tilapia, redbreast tilapia and redbelly tilapia have been introduced. [12] [13]
Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses (Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this grouping. On the basis of fossil evidence, it first appeared in Tanzania during the Eocene epoch, about 46–45 million years ago. The closest living relative of cichlids is probably the convict blenny, and both families are classified in the 5th edition of Fishes of the World as the two families in the Cichliformes, part of the subseries Ovalentaria. This family is large, diverse, and widely dispersed. At least 1,650 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families. New species are discovered annually, and many species remain undescribed. The actual number of species is therefore unknown, with estimates varying between 2,000 and 3,000.
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately 59,947 km2 (23,146 sq mi), Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after Lake Superior in North America. In terms of volume, Lake Victoria is the world's ninth-largest continental lake, containing about 2,424 km3 (1.965×109 acre⋅ft) of water. Lake Victoria occupies a shallow depression in Africa. The lake has an average depth of 40 m (130 ft) and a maximum depth of 80–81 m (262–266 ft). Its catchment area covers 169,858 km2 (65,583 sq mi). The lake has a shoreline of 7,142 km (4,438 mi) when digitized at the 1:25,000 level, with islands constituting 3.7% of this length.
The Nile perch, also known as the African snook, Goliath perch, African barramundi , Goliath barramundi, Giant lates or the Victoria perch, is a species of freshwater fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. It is widespread throughout much of the Afrotropical realm, being native to the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger and Lake Chad, Volta, Lake Turkana, and other river basins. It also occurs in the brackish waters of Lake Maryut in Egypt. The Nile perch is a fish of substantial economic and food-security importance in East Africa. Originally described as Labrus niloticus, among the marine wrasses, the species has also been referred to as Centropomus niloticus. Common names include African snook, Victoria perch, and many local names in various African languages, such as the Luo name mbuta or mputa. In Tanzania, it is called sangara, sankara, or chenku. In Francophone African countries, it is known as capitaine. Its name in the Hausa language is giwan ruwa, meaning "water elephant".
Lake Albert, originally known as Lake Mwitanzige and temporarily Lake Mobutu Sese Seko, is a lake located in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is Africa's seventh-largest lake, as well as the second biggest of Uganda's Great Lakes.
Lake Kyoga is a large shallow lake in Uganda, about 1,720 km2 (660 sq mi) in area and at an elevation of 1,033 metres. The Victoria Nile flows through the lake on its way from Lake Victoria to Lake Albert. The main inflow from Lake Victoria is regulated by the Nalubaale Power Station in Jinja. Another source of water is the Mount Elgon region on the border between Uganda and Kenya. While Lake Kyoga is part of the African Great Lakes system, it is not itself considered a great lake.
The Kagera River, also known as Akagera River, or Alexandra Nile, is an East African river, forming part of the upper headwaters of the Nile and carrying water from its most distant source. With a total length of 597 km (371 mi) from its source located in Lake Rweru in Rwanda.
The haplochromine cichlids are a tribe of cichlids in subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae called Haplochromini. This group includes the type genus (Haplochromis) plus a number of closely related genera such as Aulonocara, Astatotilapia, and Chilotilapia. They are endemic to eastern, southern and northern Africa, except for Astatotilapia flaviijosephi in the Middle East. A common name in a scientific context is East African cichlids – while they are not restricted to that region, they are the dominant Cichlidae there. This tribe was extensively studied by Ethelwynn Trewavas, who made major reviews in 1935 and 1989, at the beginning and at the end of her career in ichthyology. Even today, numerous new species are being described each year.
Lake Kwania is in the districts of Lira, Apac and Amolatar in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is part of a large wetland along the White Nile between Lake Victoria and Lake Albert. The wetland, which includes Lake Kwania, the even larger Lake Kyoga, and other water bodies and swamps, consists of about 3,420 square kilometres (1,320 sq mi) of open water and about 2,180 square kilometres (840 sq mi) of permanent swamps. Of this total, Lake Kwania accounts for 540 square kilometres (210 sq mi), about 16 percent, of the open water.
Haplochromis is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cichlidae. It has been used as the default "wastebin taxon" for Pseudocrenilabrinae cichlids of the East African Rift, and as such became the "largest" fish "genus". Many of these cichlids are popular aquarium fishes; like similar Haplochromini they are known as "haplos", "happies" or "haps" among aquarium enthusiasts.
The silver cyprinid also known as the Lake Victoria sardine, mukene, and omena, dagaa (Swahili) is a species of pelagic, freshwater ray-finned fish in the carp family, Cyprinidae from East Africa. It is the only member of the genus Rastrineobola.
Haplochromis pyrrhocephalus is a species of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Victoria in East Africa. This species can reach a standard length of 7.3 cm (2.9 in).
Oreochromis esculentus, the Singida tilapia or Graham's tilapia, is a species of cichlid endemic to the Lake Victoria basin, including some of its satellite lakes such as Kyoga, in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. Its common name refers to Lake Singida, but this population is the result of an introduction that happened in the 1950s. This fish is highly valued by local fishermen, who know it as ngege.
Oreochromis variabilis, the Victoria tilapia, is a species of African cichlid native to Lake Victoria and its tributaries, Lake Kyoga, Lake Kwania, and Lake Bisina (Salisbury), as well as being found in the Victoria Nile above Murchison Falls. This species can reach a standard length of 30 cm (12 in). This species is important to local commercial fisheries and is potentially important in aquaculture. It is also found in the aquarium trade.
There are two major sources of fish in Uganda; one is from aquaculture, the other from fishing in rivers and lakes. The latter has made up the largest and most significant share of all fishing. Open water covers 15.3 percent of Uganda's surface and comprises five major lakes which are the main sources of fish in the country. Lake Victoria continues to be the most important water body in Uganda both in size and contribution to the total fish catch, followed by Lake Albert and Lake Kyoga.
Lake Victoria supports Africa's largest inland fishery, with the majority of the catch being the invasive Nile perch, introduced in the Lake in the 1950s.
Lake Bisina, also known as Lake Salisbury, is a freshwater lake in eastern Uganda. It is a satellite lake of Lake Kyoga, which it drains into, and the two are to some extent directly connected by papyrus swamps. During the high-water rainy season, Lake Bisina can be up to 6 m (20 ft) deep and it is often directly connected to the smaller Lake Opeta, but during the dry season the two are clearly separated.
Haplochromis vonlinnei is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Victoria. It is greyish in color with a distinct mid-lateral band, and a rather slender shape. It feeds mainly on smaller fish. This species can reach a length of 15.9 centimetres (6.3 in) SL. The population of the species has declined due to the introduction of the Nile perch in the 1950s. It has not been recorded since 1980 and the IUCN lists it as "Critically Endangered" and considers it may already be extinct. This fish is named in honour of the Swedish naturalist, Carl Linnaeus.
There are two major sources of fish in Uganda; one is from aquaculture, the other from fishing in rivers and lakes. Different types of fish flourish in different water sources. The waters of Uganda contain an impressive array of fish species—over 90 in all. This count does not include the Haplochromis complex, which itself is made up of more than 200 species.
Lake Victoria supports Africa's largest inland fishery, with the majority of present catch being the invasive Nile perch, introduced to the Lake in the 1950s. Prior to the introduction of Nile perch as well as Nile tilapia, the fish community was very different and consisted mainly of 'Ngege' and Victoria tilapia as well as vast numbers of Haplochromis species. Fish communities in the first half of the 20th century are known primarily from a unique fisheries survey conducted in 1927-1928 by the Colonial Office.
Lake Kanyaboli is a lake in the Yala Swamp in western Kenya. It is important as a refuge for fish species that have almost disappeared from Lake Victoria.
Capital: Masaka | ||
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