Research project Larval fish production and dispersal in critical habitats of coastal East Africa
Human societies are dependent on ecosystem services for the provision of natural resources, and especially so in poorer developing areas. In coastal East Africa, a sustainable ecosystem production of fish is essential for food security and sustaining human livelihood.
Here, the aquatic vegetation in coastal seas, including extensive seagrass beds and mangroves, are a coupled social-ecological system providing critical nursery habitat and spawning grounds for new generations of commercially and societal valuable fish. However, these essential nursery habitats are under threat due to human activities and lost at an accelerating rate.
A key question is how an increasing degradation of essential coastal habitats limits the production and dispersal of fish larvae, a critical bottleneck for sustainable fish stocks. The aim of this project is to conduct field surveys to relate fish larvae production to seagrass habitat status in coastal Kenya and Tanzania.
Project members
Project managers
Monika Quinones Winder
Professor
Members
Noah Ngisiang'e
Doktorand
