Thirty years ago the tilapia in Lake Edward in Congo were happy. And those who fished for them were also happy as they'd bring in about 500 fish a night. Hippos were the prime source of this happiness; each day they would dump more than 575,000 pounds of natural fertilizer in the lake. This fed phytoplankton which were eaten by worms and larvae, which, in turn, were eaten by the fish. The chain was completed when the fish became part of man's food supply.
Thirty years ago there were more than 9000 hippos who basked in Lake Edward every day. In 1986 civil war came to the Congo. Today there are less than 700 hippos left from the herd that fertilized the lake. Most of them have been killed by soldiers - rebel and government. Fertilizer production has decreased by more than 90%. The typical fish catch has decreased from 500 to 30 and the tilapia are smaller. The likelihood of famine increases with each hippo killed.
1 comment:
Just another example of man's remarkable talent for destroying ecosystems.
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