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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