Useful Disasters: The Complexity of Response to Stress in a Tropical Lake Ecosystem

Authors

  • Marion Pratt American Association for the Advancement of Science

Abstract

The introduction of the Nile perch in the 1960s enhanced the economic value of the local fishery and encouraged women to become involved in fish processing and marketing. Over time, however, the predatory perch has severely reduced stocks of popular indigenous fishes. Currently, competition created by high foreign demand for the perch is forcing small-scale traders out of business and depriving local consumers of fish protein. Case studies reveal that the increased competition also has elicited various forms of production relations among men and women processors and traders. The complexities associated with the socio-ecology of this ecosystem hinder attempts to develop effective management policies.

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Author Biography

Marion Pratt, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Marion Pratt is a field research officer with the United States Aid to International Development program in Washington, DC. She received her Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Her work has focussed on gender relations and natural resource management in both Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Pratt's research on women in fisheries took her back to Tanzania for field work in the summer of 1996.

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Published

2022-06-03

How to Cite

Pratt, M. (2022). Useful Disasters: The Complexity of Response to Stress in a Tropical Lake Ecosystem. Anthropologica, 38(2), 125–148. Retrieved from https://cas-sca.journals.uvic.ca/index.php/anthropologica/article/view/2038

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