East Africa’s fish exports face a new threat — fierce competition from cod white fresh fish in the lucrative European market.

The fish is a favourite in Europe but, until a few years ago, its stocks had dwindled to worrying levels — leading to a boom in Nile perch imports.

Now Lake Victoria fisheries officials are themselves worried over declining fish stocks in the water body shared by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Cod white fresh fish hit European markets last year, with production in Belgium expected to peak to 120,000 metric tonnes this year.

More production of cod are expected from Britain, Norway and Scotland.

As markets that were recently importing Uganda’s fish begin to produce their own, the competition will get tougher.

“We must excel in aquaculture. Cod white fresh fish is farmed and competes better in the market than Nile Perch. Its stocks in world markets had diminished simply because of mismanagement,” said Uganda’s Commissioner for Fisheries, Wilson Mwanja.

At 17,400 tonnes, Uganda is the largest exporter of fish from Lake Victoria. Europe is one of the principal markets.

Cod is native to Europe. It is a favourite in many homes there.

Conservation efforts and fish farming (aquaculture) over the past few years are now yielding positive results in Europe.

Shortages of cod led to high demand and prices for East Africa’s Nile perch in Europe, resulting in a near monopoly for decades.

Until now, the main competitor has been cat fish from Vietnam. It is cheaper than Uganda’s Nile Perch but is not as popular.

Booming demand for Nile Perch in Europe created more opportunities in Uganda for rapid industrialisation of the sector in the early 1990s.

More and more fish processors came on board, creating jobs and improving the lifestyles of local communities.

Soon, however, poor management of fisheries led to illegal fishing, theft and a sharp in stocks and exports.