ProMED-mail picks up the Mara fish die-off

ProMED-mail is a mailing list from the International Society of Infectious Diseases.  The mailing list is devoted to reporting potential infectious diseases as they emerge.  The last fish die-off was just picked up by their mailing list.  Here are a few of their comments in response to the Standard article:


A heavy flood can wash soil, sediment, and a variety of chemicals,
plant life, animal waste, etc. into a water drainage area, such as the
river. While agricultural chemicals may be involved it seems extremely
early to be making such comments.
...

A full necropsy of the fish, and appropriate testing should help us
understand what is happening here. However, unless the dead fish are
cleaned up, they will soon be a perfect medium for the growth of
bacteria that can produce botulism. Then when other animals, such as
birds consume the dead fish or the maggots infecting the dead fish,
then they will be poisoned by botulism and we will be hearing about a
host of dead birds in the same area.

See their full post on it here.

Fish deaths in the news...

The Standard has now picked up the fish death controversy.

Organisations investigate deaths of fish in Mara River

Perspectives on the Serengeti Road Issue

A few perspectives on the Serengeti Road controversy;

• Serengeti-Mara Road & the future of 2 million Tanzanians
• Implement road project, Serengeti villagers urge government authorities
• ALERT! Stop the Serengeti Highway
• FZS Statement on the Proposed Serengeti Commercial Road
• World Bank offers to save Serengeti from bisecting road

More fish die in the Mara...

We've been getting some emails from friends in the Mara River Basin that tell us a large fish die-off has just occurred in and around the Masai Mara National Reserve.

You may remember that we have previously documented several large fish die-offs in the Mara River over the last few years and we blogged about one in 2009.  The exact causes of this annual event remains elusive...but I aim to shed some light on it with my upcoming research.

This coming summer I will be conducting research that I've entitled, "Sediment fingerprinting in the Mara River Basin: Uncovering relationships between wildebeest, tourism, and non-point source pollution."  I plan on looking at the sources of sediment and non-point source pollution within the protected areas (between Emarti and the lower Mara bridge).  More on this to come soon...

In the meantime, here is a quick round-up of several other massive fish die-offs that have occurred recently in other systems:

• Large fish die-off at the mouth of the Mississippi
• Massive Fish Kill in Gulf Caused by "Dead Zone," Oil?
• Two Million Dead Fish Appear in Chesapeake Bay
• 7.6 Million Fish Die In A Day At Salton Sea
• DNR: Fish die-off in southeast Michigan is natural occurrence

Keep an eye on the Mara Triangle Twitter feed for up-to-date info on the current Mara River fish die-off.

Flesh Eating Hippos of the Mara River

Amanda and I have an article on the potential carnivorous tendencies of hippos in the Mara River in the current issue of SWARA - the Journal of the East African Wildlife Society.  Pick up your copy today.

Below is a short movie I made with some of the additional pictures...pick up a copy of SWARA for the full story then let us know what you think.

Snow

Amanda and I are still preparing our research plans in New Haven for this coming summer of field work in the Mara River Basin.  Yale is a great fit for both of us and our ideas are growing every day as we continue to capitalize on all the intellectual resources available here.  More on this to come soon...

But in the meantime, check out these pictures of all the snow we just received!

'Nairobi NGO seeks to block new Serengeti road'

As the first civil legal challenge to the putative Serengeti road, it will be interesting to track how this case moves forward. Additionally, it will be an important test for the EAC justice system.

African Network for Animal Welfare (Anaw) sought an interim order from the court to stop the project on the grounds the road would harm the park’s ecology.
…
The suit says building of the road across the Serengeti, the largest national park in Tanzania which borders Maasai-Mara Game Reserve in Kenya, infringes Articles 5,89,111, 112,114 and 116 of the EAC Treaty.
…
“The Serengeti is part of a transnational ecosystem straddling Kenya and Tanzania. It is also a World Heritage Site of outstanding universal value”, Anaw executive director Josphat Ngonyo said after the case was filed.

Read more here…

Another threat?

Noxious weed threatens the biggest wildlife migration on the planet

The Serengeti - Masai Mara ecosystem in Africa, which hosts the largest wildlife migration known to man, is under attack from a noxious weed from Central America, commonly known as feverfew (Parthenium hysterophorus). If left unchecked it could threaten the continued migration of millions of animals across the plains every year, including 1.5 million wildebeest, 500,000 Thomson’s gazelle and 200,000 zebra.

Exciting Developments...

US officials launch Mau Forest restoration project

The US has launched a project aimed at encouraging the participation of local communities in the restoration of Mau Forest.

The project, sponsored by USAid, is also designed to improve local livelihoods and define individuals and communities’ rights to land.

Officials said the project titled the Pro-Mara programme is expected to be operational in March 2011 and will run for 18 months. Currently, the programme is undergoing a four-month preparation phase that will be concluded in February 2011.

The programme that will be concentrated on Mara River catchment areas of Molo, Kuresoi and Narok North also seeks to address land conflicts in the region.

Speaking in Nakuru, Rift Valley PC Osman Warfa said the Government would guard the gains it had made in the reconciliation process.

Mara River Water User's Association - Presentation in New York

The Equator Initiative has just posted the Mara River Water User's Association's Presentation from New York on their website.

Also, be sure to stop by the Equator Initiative site.  There is a nice picture of Kennedy (Director of the MRWUA) attending a high level biodiversity event on their front page.  Follow their link and you can read more about the event honoring all the Equator Initiative Prize Winners.