Lake management officials, researchers and policymakers can now access comprehensive information on fisheries data from Lakes Albert and Victoria with ease, thanks to a new mobile app. The e-CAS app was developed by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) in collaboration with NaFIRRI and regional research institutes in Tanzania and Kenya. Its availability on Google Play Store means that stakeholders can make informed decisions about fisheries management with the data at their fingertips.
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The e-CAS app has the potential to accommodate an unlimited number of data sets, including fisheries surveys, aquaculture, socio-economics and marketing. It has already documented and consolidated over 12,000 data records in one place, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with traditional manual approaches. The app’s development has improved accessibility to sustainable fisheries development for wealth creation, employment and food security.
NaFIRRI and the Directorate of Fisheries Resources plan to expand the use of e-CAS to all lakes in Uganda following the app’s success in Uganda and Tanzania. Furthermore, the app’s success makes it easier for other countries to adopt it, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, which shares Lake Albert with Uganda. Ghana launched a similar mobile app called Fish Farm Tracker at the end of last year, providing an automated solution for managing fish farms, including data collection, business management and water quality monitoring.
