In 1990, the Program on the Lakes of East Africa (PLEA) began as a research and a development project under the MSU ASC. Funded by the MacArthur Foundation, the project was designed to facilitate research, training, and service collaboration with the fisheries of Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda. This collaboration has used anthropological and sociological approaches to study of the lakeside peoples of the countries owning the fisheries of Lakes Victoria and Malawi. Special emphasis is given to fisheries management and development, gender issues in development, the socioeconomic impact of introducing new fish species, the relations of production tied to these lakes, and the impacts of the global fish markets on these African fisheries. PLEA has operated in collaboration with the Kenyan Marine Fisheries Research Institute (Kisumu), the Malawi Fisheries Research Institute, the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (Mwanza), and the Fisheries Research Institute of Uganda (Jinja).