Hilda Mogaka

Email: hmogaka@kmfri.go.ke Email: nyabokehilda@gmail.com

Ms. Hilda Nyaboke Mogaka is a Research Scientist at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) with over 10 years of research experience in fisheries and ecology in Lake Victoria. Her research work covers diverse areas of freshwaters biodiversity, conservation, fish catch assessment, fish stock assessment, and marine spatial planning.

She holds a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Biology and is currently involved in the assessment of fish responses to environmental stresses in the face of climate change and changing habitats, contributing critical knowledge to understanding how aquatic ecosystems are adapting to global environmental change.

Some key contributions in Lake Victoria include the development of a Marine Spatial Plan and zonation for Lake Victoria (www.sawa/explore.blue) to inform aquaculture carrying capacity for the lake. She has also served as a member of the regional working group on Biodiversity under the EU-EAC project "TrueFish Farming Story in the Lake Victoria Basin (TRUEFISH)".

• Development of an early warning system using modern approaches like modelling to inform fisheries management in Lake Victoria
• Promoting sustainable utilization of the lake's resources while building resilience across communities

• Blue Growth in African Great Lakes – Lead author on emerging frontiers for blue growth in African Great Lakes, exploring the potential for recreational fishing industry in Lake Victoria, Kenya (Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management 2022).
• Marine Spatial Planning for Lake Victoria – Key contributor to the development of a Marine Spatial Plan and zonation for Lake Victoria (www.sawa/explore.blue) to inform aquaculture carrying capacity.
• Lake Victoria's Blue Economy Potential – Co-authored research on Lake Victoria's bounty as a case for riparian countries' blue economic investment (Frontiers in Environmental Science 2022).
• Fish Disease in Cage Culture – Contributed to an overview of fish disease and parasite occurrence in cage culture of Nile tilapia in Lake Victoria (Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management 2021).
• Water Hyacinth Dynamics – Co-authored research on water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) infestation cycle and interactions with nutrients and aquatic biota in Winam Gulf, Lake Victoria (Lakes and Reservoirs: Research and Management 2021).
• Challenges to Lake Fisheries – Co-authored research on challenges to lake fisheries and factors affecting effectiveness of co-management regimes in African Great Lakes (Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management 2022).
• Global Recreational Fisheries Dataset – Contributor to the global dataset of species-specific inland recreational fisheries harvest for consumption (Scientific Data 2022).
• Balancing Community Needs and Resource Protection – Co-authored research on balancing community needs and resource protection for Lake Kanyaboli, Kenya (Journal of Biodiversity & Endangered Species 2018).