Fisheries research towards resource management on Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika hosts one of the largest inland fisheries in Africa and is a significant source of food and livelihood to millions dwelling inside and outside of its basin. The lake and its environs support a wide array of su bsistence and commercial activity as well as a remarkable assemblage of tro pical flora and fauna, including highly diverse populations of endemic fish . This paper describes efforts undertaken through the FAO/FINNIDA Lake Tang anyika Research Project (LTR) to investigate the lake's production and pote ntial and to advise on modalities for the optimal management of its resourc es, in order to serve present and future human welfare and conservation nee ds. Specifically, the paper essays to: (a) provide background on the scope and content of LTR Project work; (b) situate project research and methodolo gies in terms of contemporary developments in fisheries management theory a nd application; (c) identify and characterise, with reference to research o utcomes generated through the project's Scientific Sampling Programme, soci o-economic investigations and legal-institutional studies, major developmen t and management challenges that confront fisheries resource users, adminis trators, planners, and policy makers; and finally, (d) consider various pol icy options appropriate to conditions of ecosystem uncertainty, plural stak eholder interests and complex interactions between fishing and non-fishing sectors of the wider economy. It is argued that the Lake Tanganyika situati on defies diagnosis and prescription according to conventional `stock asses sment driven' management thinking. The lake instead presents a compelling c ase for the application of multi-disciplinary management approaches, involv ing strong levels of community participation.