Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute
Thursday, June 5
The African Great Lakes are renowned for their biodiversity and productive fisheries, which support the livelihoods of millions of people of the region and beyond. Despite their importance, these lakes are facing a myriad of stressors, including warming, environmental pollution, and overfishing. Fish production in the African Great Lakes has either flattened or declined and is not showing signs of improvement. The changes occurring in the fisheries are jeopardizing sustainability and impinging on food security of the region. This talk will address the past, present, and future of fisheries research in Lakes Nyasa/Niassa/Malawi, Tanganyika, and Victoria, and propose actions needed to inform management of the lakes and improve food security in the African Great Lakes region.
Ismael Kimirei is an aquatic ecologist with an interest in aquatic resources management, fish biology and ecology, limnology, and climate change issues. Kimirei studies connectivity among marine coastal ecosystems (mangroves, seagrass, and coral reefs) and the anthropogenic and climate related disturbances to these ecosystems. Kimirei’s recent studies are related to urbanization and ocean acidification and the associated ecological impacts; climate effects on lake functioning and fisheries; and fish habitat mapping for conservation. While he continues to study the marine environment on how anthropogenic activities and ocean acidification are impacting the environment and fishes, he also works in the Great Lakes of East Africa focusing mainly on how lakes ecosystems respond to climate change/warming and how that relates to fisheries productivity. Dr. Kimirei is currently the director general of the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute. He holds BSc (General, Hons) and MSc (Limnology) degrees from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and a Ph.D. in marine ecology from the Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Kimirei has served as academic editor for PLOS ONE and reviews for several international peer-review journals, including the Journal of Greal Lakes Research, Regional Studies in Marine Science, Frontiers in Marine science, Coral Reef, and PLOS ONE to mention a few. He has authored and co-authored over 60 articles in international peer-reviewed journals and several book chapters and co-edited a book.
