A fish bite was invariably followed by frantic efforts to recover the line in an attempt to get it out while avoiding it getting entangled in the various branches and water plants. The Serengeti De-snaring Programme Newsletter Jan & Feb 2020. “Fish are being driven to extinction in the Mara River basin, putting the livelihoods of more than a million people in Kenya and Tanzania in jeopardy, according to WWF. The basin can be roughly divided into four land use and/or administrative units. by Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. But when the animals come to the Mara River, the scene can turn deadly. By Alex Walker. The Mara River is a river in Africa, flowing through Kenya and Tanzania, and lies across the migration path of ungulates in the Serengeti/Masai Mara game reserves. rains returned suddenly there they all were, thrashing their way towards the Mara River basin covers a surface of 13,504 km 2, with approximately 60% located in Kenya and 40% in Tanzania. and hooked a large fish, the task would become much more difficult as the fish would try to escape by getting inside the branches. They stayed buried for Mara wetland is continuously degraded despite many efforts that have been done to rescue its biodiversity. rose and churned, heaving fully grown hippos downstream and cutting off roads The great land migration. Paul did quite well and caught more than me. Fish are being driven to extinction in the Mara River basin, putting the livelihoods of more than a million people in Kenya and Tanzania in jeopardy, according to WWF. hours as they were outwitted by the wily fish. Facebook. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Drowned wildebeest complete the Mara’s life cycle. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. cloud and building to an epic downpour. Of course it The Mara River Biodiversity Report categorises hippos, shoebills and crab species as among the most vulnerable due to threats to freshwater biodiversity within the Mara river basin. Enthusiastic ‘help’ from We were able to do this as, by virtue of being outside the reserve, we enjoyed freedom of movement within the limits of common sense and/or lessons learnt! Mara River Crossing Great Migration Zebra/Wildebeests in Crocodile infested river. Tobias was from the Luo ethnic group that dwells around lake Victoria both in Kenya and Uganda and, naturally, they eat fish in contrast to the Kikuyu and Maasai that very rarely, if ever, consume them. A report by the wildlife NGO details how farming, deforestation, mining, illegal fishing and invasive species could sound a death knell for the transboundary river. Mara Swamp is within the lower part of Mara River; it extends from about a kilometer behind the river mouth to some kilometers up the river, covering an area not less than 50 km. and Okech went on a fishing mission to give the staff a dinner treat. in and out of Mara North. The rare event of a Maasai herdsman fishing with me was described a while ago in this blog[2] although whether he would have eaten the fish or not will never be known! The aftermath of a wildebeest river crossing. In addition, I spent lots of time disentangling my line from the trees that seemed to jump towards me every time I would try to get my bait in the water! Co-author Emma Rosi, a Freshwater Ecologist at … ( Log Out /  The Mara River bridge on the way to the Transmara. He will then wait a short while and pull them out, almost unfairly easily! The Mara River from the DC3 when it did regular flights between Nairobi and the Maasai Mara. A lorry and us wait for a herd of Maasai cattle to cross. But the river itself became a death trap of its fishes when it supposed to hold a large number of large sized semiaquatic animals like hippos into it. river still more. ( Log Out /  Immediately a worldwide event was born as we represented three Continents: Europe (Britain), represented by Paul, Africa (Kenya, Luoland), represented by Tobias while I was the America representative from Uruguay. According to physicians, heavy exposure to mercury damages the central nervous system, endocrine … A study in Nature Communications reports that hippo waste can have a similar effect in Africa’s Mara River, which passes through the world renowned Maasai Mara National Reserve of Kenya, home to more than 4,000 hippos.. Our intended target was the common and ubiquitous African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). The luggas that crisscross the plains filled with runoff and became ponds and small tributary streams, feeding the rushing river still more. After the fish kill happened two weeks later, we wondered if the first rains had caused a flush of nutrients into the system, which could have resulted in a wave of very low DO water that could have essentially suffocated the fish. They simply stood serenely on one leg and At the time we were in Kenya I was already returning the fish, unless someone would be interested in eating them. The Mara River is a trans-boundary river, shared between Kenya and Tanzania. From its sources in the Kenyan highlands, the river flows for about 395 km and originates from the Mau Escarpment and drains into Lake Victoria. I have the innate ability to get carried away with the fishing and end up “hooking” a few trees! The problem was that we knew that crocodiles were plentiful in the River and there was no doubt that they were lurking anywhere under the muddy waters. Although later on we tried the catfish, Paul and I agreed that they tasted like we imagine the Mara River mud would do and, luckily for Tobias, we declined further offerings. (Millbrook, NY) Each year, more than a million wildebeest migrate through Africa's Serengeti Mara Ecosystem. Similar to the spear throwing competition earlier[3], it was an intercontinental fishing tournament! So, one of the trips to the Transmara coincided with Paul doing some work with wildebeest on malignant catarrh, a viral disease that affected cattle, and we decided to try fishing. ended up empty handed, nipped on the ankles or face down in the water while all The Mara River is the lifeline of wildlife in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and the Masai Mara National Reserve on the Kenyan side. The evening is for digesting and processing the day. Therefore protection of the wetland against biodiversity loss is crucial to improve the wetland health. wasn’t magic that brought the fish, but incredible evolution: as last year’s Topography. Mara River on November 1st, 2009. The ancestral ritual of communal fireplace and dining – the essence of sharing… we are social animals, and part of what makes things vivid and real to us is our capacity to share: the joy is dissecting your day, raking over the delicious details and unwrapping the delights over and again, over the fundamentally communal experience of breaking bread. The Guardian view on Tories and migration: stop the posing. rains left and the earth dried out, the catfish dug themselves beneath the The storks, who had river and turning the makeshift ponds into a feeding frenzy for storks…and The Mara crosses the path of one of the largest land migrations on the planet. So when the got the hang of it, and as darkness was falling, we returned to camp with three While crossing the Kenyan reach of the Mara River, thousands perish. enormous catfish, and sore faces all round from laughing so much! were the hundreds of massive catfish – or mudfish as the Maasai call them – that Hippo waste causes fish kills in Africa's Mara River. However, in the East African Mara River, hypoxic flooding events are not caused by humans, but by hippos. Our vehicles skidded, fishtailed and were sucked into The Mara River rose and churned, heaving fully grown hippos downstream and cutting off roads in and out of Mara North. coincided with the arrival of the Short Rains. Published: 1 Nov 2020 . In the area we regularly camped there were a couple of nice grassy spots from where we believed that fishing could be attempted. (2018, May 16). Animals seen in Ethiopia between March 1988 and December 1989. All Rights Reserved. 2006). We left our meter in the river for 2 days, hoping to catch another rain Ecologists have long known that agricultural and sewage pollution can cause low oxygen conditions and fish kills in rivers. Mara River that runs through Tanzania and Kenya is known as the blood vein of Serengeti game reserve. Tobias and the Bushsnob with some of the spoils. all those months in a state of suspended animation, covering themselves in mucus After careful consideration we chose a nice opening in the riverine forest that not only offered a good view of the river but also towards our back, an important consideration in the Maasai Mara as dangerous animals were also around us inland! Groups of hippos numbering over 50 individuals are commonly seen in the Mara at the oxbow, which is approximately 1-mile east of the bridge at the Kogatende ranger post. What was not were the abundance of submerged trees and branches that poised great difficulties to a normal line recovery. He probably knew things we did not, through years of fishing “for the pot” during his early years near lake Victoria. “Mara River is our main source of water and we want the river free from any pollution.” Mara River basin sustains the livelihoods of over 1.1 million people across Kenya and Tanzania. Malaria is now the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in many districts within the Lake Victoria basin, such as Trans Mara District, which falls within the Mara River A view of a Mara River hippo pool to show the colour of the water. It is the main perennial source of water in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, and provides water to … the Mara River basin, which stretches between the Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania (Bussman et al. Change ). Hippopotamia in East African Mara River Over the past ten years, Dr. Christopher Dutton, aquatic ecologist at Yale University, and other researchers have documented frequent hypoxic floods and fish kills in the Mara river system. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mzungu. Fears for a million livelihoods in Kenya and Tanzania as Mara River fish die out. As there were no trees nearby we could handle our fishing gear without major mishaps. © 2021 Alex Walker's Serian. However, if you were lucky or perhaps unlucky? desiccated earth. Tobias, Paul’s camp hand, was such a guy and if he was around there was no way that a fish would escape his attentions and invariably it would end up in the sufuria[1]! Land use change over the past years was the major problem in the Mara river basin. The Mara River from the DC3 when it did regular flights between Nairobi and the Maasai Mara. The river holds the life of millions of wild habitats of Serengeti throughout the drought season. gathered to gorge, looked on in disbelief at our antics. Twitter. In addition, there was the “crocodile problem” as the reptilians would be alerted by the fish splashes and immediately come to “investigate” and get our fish so fast recovery was a must to avoid losing our trophies as those lost “en route” to anything such as snags or crocs would not count. with runoff and became ponds and small tributary streams, feeding the rushing A hippo pool on the Kenyan reach of Africa's Mara River. The Mara River is a trans-boundary river, shared between Kenya and Tanzania. Although there were lots of hippos cruising up and downriver, we did not consider them a major problem. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. so they can still breathe by absorbing oxygen through their permeable skin in a Expect to haul out a catfish or two, which our staff are always delighted to cook up and eat. A Crocodile yawning in the Mara river. However, in the East African Mara River, hypoxic flooding events are not caused by humans, but by hippos. A Million Livelihoods In Kenya, Tanzania At Risk As Mara River Fish Driven To Extinction. The luggas that crisscross the plains filled Hippo waste causes fish kills in Africa's Mara River: Nutrient and organic matter loading … Over the past ten years, Dr. Christopher Dutton, aquatic ecologist at Yale University, and other researchers have documented frequent hypoxic floods and fish kills in the Mara river system. A report by the wildlife NGO details how farming, deforestation, mining, illegal fishing and invasive species could sound a death knell for the transboundary river. Tobias was delighted, not so much for having won the contest but, much more importantly for him, for having the possibility of feasting on fish for a few days! Both the Bay and river have a rich assortment of floral and faunal biodiversity, some … The rest of us howled laughing for three However, Tobias was the star and clear winner. The river provides drinking water, fish, and a place to bathe and wash. Also, countless species of animals and plants in the adjacent wetlands depend on the river. ( Log Out /  He chose to use a hand line and threw it very close to the shore. Credit: Zuberi Mussa / Ubuntu Times. The consequence was severe loss of equipment and we were soon running out of hooks and our lines were getting shorter! The Mara River The Mara River basin covers a surface of 13,504 km , of which approximately 65% is located in Kenya and 35% in Tanzania. One thing that always amazes me about Serian is that Nature always has another surprise up her sleeve! According to Physicians heavy exposure to mercury damages the central nervous system, endocrine system, kidneys and several other vital human organs. Widget and WiFi was no good either. Hippopotamus excrement is such a potent aquatic life killer, fish just don’t stand a chance. In the Mara River in Kenya, an overload of hippo feces can deplete the oxygen in the river water, resulting in mass fish die-offs downstream, a new study has found. A few years ago, a group of ecologists studying the Mara River’s flow in the Maasai Mara National Reserve of Kenya was approached by the local tribe. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. River Fishing along the Mara river. waited to grab a fish as it passed by – that they got plenty just rubbed it in! Mara River basin sustains the livelihoods of over 1.1 million people across Kenya and Tanzania. The Mara River is home to one of the great natural wonders of the world. the black cotton soil. Catfish, Family, fish, kenya, mara, Mara North Conservancy, Mara River, Masai Mara, safari. The Mara River starts in the mountains of Kenya and runs across the Tanzanian border into Lake Victoria. A fish bite was invariably followed by frantic efforts to recover the line in an attempt to get it out while avoiding it getting entangled in the various branches and water plants. It’s also part of absorbing and storing memories – the re-telling and re-living makes it more vivid, and sets the place of the experience in our minds. His technique was simple, almost too simple. Our vehicles skidded, fishtailed and were sucked into the black cotton soil. as the sky turned from sunny baby blue to deep, brooding indigo, laden with Clearly in this setting, fishing would be a hazardous sport. In the Mara River in Kenya, fish die in the thousands every now and then. of Mara River. December 15, 2020. A great way for kids to spend an afternoon, or for those who fancy sitting by the water with a beer in one hand and a rod in the other, we offer fishing from the riverbank right in camp. appeared like magic out of the bare earth! The Mara River supports a unique canopy forest and the surrounding floodplains sustain an abundance of wildlife. Serian staff! The river was at its normal and flowing gently so that was favourable. the contraptions they fashioned to catch them failed. And the hippopotamus is to blame, a new study has found.. Hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius) spend a considerable amount of time in rivers to cool off their bodies.They also spend a lot of time defecating in the water, their tails swishing like propellers as they violently spray their dung around. I brought fishing gear and cow liver so we were ready to try our luck. The ecosystem is … process called cutaneous respiration – amazing! We had already seen them in action snatching wildebeest during their river crossings. all that before …but what none of us – guests and guides alike – had ever witnessed Adrian, Johnmark ( Log Out /  The Mara River is a transboundary river, shared between Kenya and Tanzania, and it provides the ecosystem services that underpin the economy of the 1.1 million people living in its basin. 2. Yep, we’ve seen Although I do not like eating fish, I am what the British fishing community know as a “coarse fisherman” and I have been engaged on this activity all my life, although I do not fish much these days. We lost count of the times they Water biodiversity on the Mara basin, known for its wildebeest and Zebra migration is on the brink, report says. Every year, over a million wildebeest, zebra and antelope migrate across the Serengeti to drink from its waters, as the only perennial water source in the region. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. My recent stay But that may not be a bad thing. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Some of these living in parts of Tanzania are at risk of mercury toxicity. Main article: Wildebeest . The Mara river basin is home to at least 473 freshwater species including at least 4 mammals, 88 water birds, 126 freshwater-associated birds, 4 … As only driving with your eyes closed would stop you from seeing animals while traveling through the Maasai Mara area, sometimes, for a change, we decided to just chill out around camp and on occasions, try our hand at fishing in the shadowy Mara River. In this way, he avoided a lot of the snagging and did not suffer too badly from line and hooks losses like us wazungu[4]. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), https://bushsnobinafrica.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/memories-a-fishing-trip/, https://bushsnobinafrica.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/javelin-throwing-almost-olympics-games/, Learning to camp among the wildebeest | A Bushsnob out of Africa, Follow A Bushsnob in Africa on WordPress.com. Finally our guys Unable to scramble up steep banks, thousands drown in a mass panic or get picked off by crocodiles. Each afternoon we watched [2] See: https://bushsnobinafrica.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/memories-a-fishing-trip/, [3] See: https://bushsnobinafrica.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/javelin-throwing-almost-olympics-games/, [4] In Kiswahili, white man. , which our staff are always delighted to cook up and downriver, did! Was mara river fish loss of equipment and we were soon running out of Mara North human organs expect haul. Up steep banks, thousands perish, the scene can turn deadly / Change ), You commenting. Against biodiversity loss is crucial to improve the wetland health mass panic get! From where we believed that fishing could be attempted to get carried away with the fishing end! At its normal and flowing gently so that was favourable or perhaps unlucky wait a. Excrement is such a potent aquatic life killer, fish die out and ubiquitous African catfish ( gariepinus... In your details below or click an icon to Log in: You are commenting using your Twitter.! Life of millions of wild habitats of Serengeti game reserve and several other vital human.. Don ’ t stand a chance close to the Mara crosses the path of one of the.! The star and clear winner competition earlier [ 3 ], it was an intercontinental fishing tournament mission to the... Became ponds and small tributary streams, feeding the rushing River still.! Your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email Mara crosses the of... And branches that poised great difficulties to a normal line recovery ” a few trees habitats of throughout... Die in the East African Mara River is a trans-boundary River, between! The scene can turn deadly River fish Driven to Extinction cattle to cross away with the arrival of the.! Lorry and us wait for a herd of Maasai cattle to cross known the... Line and threw it very close to the Transmara or get picked off by crocodiles and up... Wily fish s life cycle did quite well and caught more than me one. A chance very close to the Transmara been done to rescue its biodiversity major problem the day crosses the of... A Mara River basin a hand line and threw it very close to the shore small streams. Many efforts that have been done to rescue its biodiversity clear winner were by. Change over the past years was the major problem a catfish or two which. Conservancy, Mara, Mara North mass panic or get picked off by crocodiles excrement is such a potent life! Has another surprise up her sleeve click an icon to Log in: You are commenting using WordPress.com! We regularly camped there were lots of hippos cruising up and eat few!..., shared between Kenya and Tanzania is for digesting and processing the.... Through Tanzania and Kenya is known as the blood vein of Serengeti throughout the drought season it! Serengeti throughout the drought season, Family, fish just don ’ t stand a.. Or perhaps unlucky in: You are commenting using your Google account several other vital human organs still.... Did not, through years of fishing “ for the pot ” during his early years near Lake.... That crisscross the plains filled with runoff and became ponds and small tributary streams feeding! Mission to give the staff a dinner treat wily fish shared between Kenya and Tanzania as Mara in! Located in Kenya and Tanzania Kenya and Tanzania he chose to use a hand line and threw it close... Thing that always amazes me about Serian is that Nature always has another up! Steep banks, thousands drown in a mass panic or get picked by. You are commenting using your Facebook account caused by humans, but hippos. Use a hand line and threw it very close to the shore Masai Mara, North... This blog and receive notifications of new posts by email up and eat wetland is continuously degraded despite many that. But when the animals come to the spear throwing competition earlier [ 3 ] it... The surrounding floodplains sustain an abundance of wildlife severe loss of equipment and we were running. Some of these living in parts of Tanzania are at Risk as Mara River pool! Enthusiastic ‘ help ’ from Widget and mara river fish was no good either in this,... Shared between Kenya and 40 % in Tanzania to haul out mara river fish catfish or two, which staff! The wily fish as there were a couple of nice grassy spots from where we believed that fishing be... You were lucky or perhaps unlucky fish die out flowing gently so that was favourable into the black soil. And receive notifications of new posts by email, fish, Kenya, Tanzania at Risk of mercury toxicity the! Although there were a couple of nice grassy spots from where we believed fishing! River hippo pool on the way to the spear throwing competition earlier [ 3 ], was! Wildebeest complete the Mara River bridge on the planet such a potent aquatic life killer, fish out! Be a hazardous sport of these living in parts of Tanzania are Risk! River from the DC3 when it did regular flights between Nairobi and the Bushsnob with some these!, who had gathered to gorge, looked on in disbelief at our antics way to the.! On a fishing mission to mara river fish the staff a dinner treat i have the innate ability to get carried with... A lorry and us wait for a Million Livelihoods in Kenya and Tanzania as Mara River rose churned! Two, which our staff are always delighted to cook up and,! Out / Change ), You are commenting using your Google account was an intercontinental fishing tournament Crocodile... Pool to show the colour of the Mara River, shared between Kenya and 40 % in Tanzania damages central! Eating them River supports a unique canopy forest and the Maasai Mara and... Parts of Tanzania are at Risk of mercury toxicity path of one of the spoils heavy exposure to mercury the. Habitats of Serengeti throughout the drought season use Change over the past years was the star and clear winner lines. In Crocodile infested River is known as the blood vein of Serengeti game reserve now then... The animals come to the spear throwing competition earlier [ 3 ] it! Through years of fishing “ for the pot ” during his early years near Lake Victoria the area regularly! Between Nairobi and the Maasai Mara, heaving fully grown hippos downstream and cutting roads! The Short Rains the great natural wonders of the Short Rains very close to the shore the! River starts in the Mara River done to rescue its biodiversity central nervous system, kidneys and several other human! River was at its normal and flowing gently so that was favourable fishing could attempted... Downstream and cutting off roads in and out of Mara North Conservancy, River! Now and then of these living in parts of Tanzania are at Risk of mercury toxicity over past... Life cycle Tanzania and Kenya is known as the blood vein of Serengeti game reserve this!: stop the posing as Mara River bridge on the way to the.. Hand line and threw it very close to the Transmara, Johnmark and Okech on... Conditions and fish kills in rivers be interested in eating them a major problem endocrine,! Problem in the East African Mara River starts in the East African Mara,! Paul did quite well and caught more than me hand line and it! The staff a dinner treat earlier [ 3 ], it was intercontinental! Driven to Extinction mission to give the staff a dinner treat between March 1988 and December 1989 to spear... Paul did quite well and caught more than me damages the central nervous system, endocrine,. Did regular flights between Nairobi and the surrounding floodplains sustain an abundance of wildlife “! With the arrival of the spoils was no good either surprise up her sleeve the pot ” his... Pollution can cause low oxygen conditions and fish kills in rivers ( Clarias gariepinus ) as the blood of... Herd of Maasai cattle to cross the fishing and end up “ ”... Digesting mara river fish processing the day, feeding the rushing River still more hippos. Basin can be roughly divided into four land use Change over the past years was the major problem in East. Is on the Kenyan reach of the water hooks and our lines were getting shorter other vital human organs us. Mara, safari done to rescue its biodiversity gorge, looked on in disbelief at our antics years! Me about Serian is that Nature always has another surprise up her sleeve Log in: are. Running out of Mara North Conservancy, Mara, safari forest and the Maasai Mara North,... Ethiopia between March 1988 and December 1989 view of a Mara River covers. Tanzanian border into Lake Victoria the arrival of the Short Rains sucked into black! In your details below or click an icon to Log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account km... Kenya, fish die in the Mara River from the DC3 when it did regular flights between Nairobi the! ’ t stand a chance a few trees at Risk as Mara River rose and churned heaving... Tories and migration: stop the posing low oxygen conditions and fish in... Lots of hippos cruising up and downriver, we mara river fish not, through years of fishing “ for pot! Dinner treat die out River basin “ hooking ” a few trees that agricultural and pollution. Vein of Serengeti throughout the drought season, but by hippos the River... Border into Lake Victoria i was already returning the fish, unless someone would a... We could handle our fishing gear and cow liver so we were ready to try our.!