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Management, conservation and species changes of exploited fish stocks in Lake Malaŵi

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The Impact of Species Changes in African Lakes

Part of the book series: Chapman & Hall Fish and Fisheries Series ((FIFI,volume 18))

Abstract

Lake Malaŵi is home to at least 500 and possibly as many as 2000 fish species which are endemic or unique to the lake. These may account for as much as 2–5% of all existing vertebrate species. Almost all of them belong to one family, the cichlids, and apart from three tilapiines, all are closely related haplochromine species, possibly descended from a single, recent common ancestor (Meyer et al., 1990, 1991). Understanding the mechanisms of the evolution of this diversity may provide one of the most critical tests of models of the origin of species (Mayr, 1984; Turner, 1994a). In addition to their great scientific importance, the fishes of Lake Malaŵi are an important component of the aquarium fish trade, a major tourist attraction and perhaps of considerable potential in aquaculture.

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Authors
  1. George F. Turner
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

    Tony J. Pitcher

  2. Department of Zoology, Leicester University, Leicester, UK

    Paul J. B. Hart

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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Turner, G.F. (1995). Management, conservation and species changes of exploited fish stocks in Lake Malaŵi. In: Pitcher, T.J., Hart, P.J.B. (eds) The Impact of Species Changes in African Lakes. Chapman & Hall Fish and Fisheries Series, vol 18. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0563-7_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0563-7_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4249-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-0563-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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