Fishing and Fish Farming in Rwanda
Senior 2 · Geography and Environment
Fishing and Fish Farming in Rwanda
Lesson 1 of 3
20 min
Rwanda has no coastline, yet fish is sold in almost every market: fresh tilapia in Kigali, and small dried isambaza from Lake Kivu sold by the cup. Fish supplies protein, iron and other nutrients that many diets lack, and it gives work to fishers, boat builders, traders and fish farmers. The wild catch is limited, so the country is also expanding fish farming. This lesson names Rwanda's main fish and shows where they are caught and farmed.
| Fish | Features | Where found |
|---|---|---|
| Nile tilapia | Medium-sized, flat-sided fish that grows fast on plant food and plankton; the most popular fish in Rwandan markets | Most lakes and rivers; the main fish in ponds and cages |
| Isambaza (Lake Tanganyika sardine) | Small silver fish, usually about 10 cm long, living in shoals in open water; brought to Lake Kivu from Lake Tanganyika in 1959 | Lake Kivu |
| Haplochromis (small cichlids) | Small, often colourful fish; Lake Kivu alone has about 15 endemic species | Lake Kivu and other lakes |
| African catfish (Clarias) | Long, scaleless body with whisker-like barbels; can gulp air, so it survives in muddy, low-oxygen water | Swamps, rivers and lakes; also farmed in ponds |
| Barbs | Silvery fish of the carp family | Rivers such as the Nyabarongo and Akagera, and lakes |
Classify each activity and name the fish most likely involved.
Tip
Memory hook: catch or rear. Fishing catches wild fish; fish farming rears fish that someone stocked and fed. In an exam, always pair a fish with its place: isambaza with Lake Kivu, tilapia with ponds and cages, catfish with swamps.
Solution: fishing is catching wild fish from natural waters; fish farming is rearing fish under control in ponds, tanks or cages until harvest.
Solution: isambaza, the Lake Tanganyika sardine, brought from Lake Tanganyika. Before it arrived, no fish fed on plankton in Kivu's open water.
Solution: catfish can gulp air at the surface, so they survive in muddy water that holds little oxygen.
Solution: Rweru and Cyohoha, in Bugesera.
Solution: the wild catch is limited and has fallen on some lakes, while demand is rising with a growing population and towns. Valleys with a steady water supply and government help with fingerlings also favour it.
Summary
Sources and credits
The fish table, the list of areas, the worked example and the practice items are written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
