The rocky habitats of Lake Malawi, Tanzania

Environment

Environment

Affected by human activity

Affected by human activity

Pollution

Pollution

Moderate

Surrounding area

Coastline relief varies from rocky steep shores to extensive beaches.

Underwater landscape

The average water surface temperature in the lake ranges from 23 to 28°C. Seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation directly affect the transparency of the water: if on a hot February day visibility can be almost zero, then on a calm day in October it can be more than 20 m. In biotopes with a rocky bottom, the water is more transparent than in areas with a silty base. This biotope is a transitional aquatic landscape with both rocks and areas of sandy or silted bottom located at a sufficient depth.

Fish:

• Labidochromis sp. “Hongi“

Threats to ecology

The main threat is overfishing, a problem fueled by the population explosion that has occurred in Malawi over the past decades. Malawi’s population is growing at 2% per year, with almost half of the country’s population being children under 15 years of age. Fish provides up to 70% of the animal protein in the Malawians’ diet, and the demand for it is constantly growing. The annual catch of fish in the lake is declining slowly, but this is a consequence of increasing fishing activity and the use of prohibited fishing gear for smaller fish.

Riparian zone

Trees near the aquatic habitat

None -