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Fishermen
display their empty nets
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38-year-old
Michael Mtolo from Chikumba village in Mulanje district is a fresh fish seller
at Zomba market in Malawi’s old capital city. Mtolo has been in the business
for almost ten years now. Surprisingly though, he is alone today in the fresh
fish section of the market. Out of the 14 benches reserved for selling Chambo,
or Oreochromis as it is scientifically known, only two benches are occupied
representing about 14.3 percent of the total benches set aside for selling fresh
fish in the market. This is where it tells the story; the Chambo is becoming
scarce in most of the Malawi waters.
Fish
Numbers are Declining
Mtolo
acknowledges that since 1996 the fish landings, especially that of Chambo,
started to show signs of decline. He cites that the number of those involved in
the business has increased, as has the number of fishermen, as fish selling has
been viewed as an alternative to subsistence agriculture. Farm inputs are hard
to come by due to the skyrocketing prices of fertilizers that cannot be afforded
by 65 percent of the 11 million Malawians who live below the poverty line and
survive on less than one dollar per day.
Mtolo
continues to explain that the shortage of the Chambo has led to fishermen
catching a different fish that resembles the Chambo, locally known as Makumba,
but quickly acknowledges that Chambo is tastier than Makumba and that most
Malawians prefer it. Other fishermen on the western arm of lake Malawi reported
that they have recently been catching what they call blue fish, a fish not as
popular or tasty as the Chambo.
Chambo
and chips is one of Malawi’s popular dishes and visitors are told that they
have not visited Malawi if they have not tasted Chambo, which graces the menu of
almost every restaurant, lodge and hotel in the country.
Next
stop: Lake Chilwa in the southeastern part of the district of Zomba. Lake Chilwa
is a salty inland drainage lake without any outlet; it is a wetland of national
importance under the Ramsar Convention. The lake supplies 20 percent of the
total fish caught in Malawi. Lake Chilwa also supports a population of
waterfowls.
On
the spot survey reveals that Chambo fish is scarce in Lake Chilwa. Of the total
fish caught in the lake none of the fishermen had caught Chambo from the Lake
waters on this particular day. All had small fish called Matemba and some Lake
salmon locally known as Mlamba. Vincent James, 52, a fish seller from Mutama
village, Traditional Authority Jali, Zomba district says that the solution
needed to bring back the Chambo to its sustainable levels is “to enforce the
closed breeding season and enable young fish to grow. Our beach village
committee plays an important role in fisheries conservation,” he advised.
Apart
from fish trapped by illegal gear like mosquito nets, a strange phenomenon
affected Lake Malawi in 1999 that might be linked to the recent decline of
Chambo numbers. During that year, a considerable number of dead fish were
discovered floating in the Lake. Some reports indicated that large-scale
pollution had formed a problem for marine life and later affected the food chain
within the ecosystem. Agricultural practices, the use of chemicals and topsoil
runoff from the land were also reported to be some of the problems affecting the
Lake ecosystem. In addition, non-biodegradable substances have long-term effects
on the aquatic resources. They also affect plankton and algae on which the fish
feed. As a result, the fish are ecologically affected.
Cuthbert
Geneti, of Mpinganjira village Traditional Authority Mponda in the lakeshore
district Mangochi laments that, “These days Chambo numbers have declined
because of the gear being used to net them. The number of those involved in
Chambo sales has increased. To catch Chambo we need to travel close to Makanjira
on the eastern arm of the Lake,” he explained. Geneti called upon the
fisheries department to police on the nature of nets being used, especially
those that are 2 inches and ½ inch, to prevent catching juvenile Chambo.
The
Way Forward for Fisheries Sustainability
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Fishing
in Lake
Chilwa
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Frank
Fatchi, a veteran fisherman at Makawa beach on the shore of lake Malawi in
Mangochi and one who owns two fishing trawlers that he uses to catch Chisawasawa,
small fish found in lake Malawi, has pulled a fortune from the lake. Fatchi
explained that, “All stake holders involved in the fishery sector need to find
a way to ensure that fish as a resource continues to be available for the future
generation.” The veteran fisherman discourages the catching of fish in shallow
waters by young people along the lake beaches. Fatchi appealed, “There is a
need to know the breeding season of the Chambo and allow it to grow and
reproduce. Catching young fish defeats the whole purpose of resource
sustainability,” he said. “The fisheries department should find a way to
ensure that young Chambo are protected from being netted by fishermen. There is
a need to educate the masses on the rules that govern the conservation of fish
and its long term sustainability,” Fatchi advised.
During
a recent visit to the lakeshore district of Mangochi, Malawi Minister of
Environmental Affairs and Natural Resources, Uladi Mussa, said in an interview
with the only local television station that there is a need to solve the
problems of lack of fish in lake Malawi. Mussa called for ways to be identified
to assist the local fishermen in the country. The Minister also lamented over
the massive environmental degradation of natural resources and cultivation along
riverbanks that results in soils being washed away and having negative
ecological effects downstream. He also emphasized the need for various
government departments to work together in order to overcome the problems that
have rocked the fishery sector.
Fish
and Malawi’s Economic Development
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Most
of the Malawian lakeshore communities survive through fishing
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Lake
Malawi is known to the world as the only place on the planet to harbor cichlids.
There are about 750-1000 species of cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi. To protect
the cichlids, the Malawi government set aside the southern-most tip of the Lake
as a National Park. UNESCO declared the first fresh water National Park as a
world heritage site in 1984. Tropical fish biologists agree that Lake Malawi
contains more fresh water species of fish than all the lakes of Europe and North
America combined. The cichlids fish are endemic to it and found nowhere else on
the planet. The recent trends in the decline of fish have therefore raised
concern about the possibility of the cichlids being affected.
Dr.
Moses Banda, Research Coordinator for the Fisheries Department said in an
interview that, “The total economic value of fish in Lake Malombe alone when
the catch reached its peak in 1987/88 was estimated at MK642 million (US$6.42
million). During this time the total tonnage for fish caught stood at 13,000
tons per annum. Chambo contributed 66 percent of the total catch. However in
1993, the Chambo started to register signs of declining,” he disclosed.
“Lake Malombe and the eastern arm of Lake Malawi are the main fishing grounds;
these two places contribute 88 percent of the total fish catch in the country.
Drastic and remedial measures need to be taken before the situation
collapses,” Banda warned. The current economic value for lake Malombe is
around MK42 million ($420,000) with a quantity of about 4,000 tons of fish
caught, he said.
Fish
contributes 4 percent of Malawi’s Gross National Product (GNP). Most of the
Malawian lakeshore communities survive through fishing, processing, marketing
and other related industries. Translating into figures, over 300,000 people are
employed in the fishery sector. Furthermore, fish plays an important role in
food security, at one time contributing to as much as 70 percent of Malawi’s
animal protein, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental
Affairs 2002 report to Malawi’s parliament.
In
a bid to sustain the resource, the Malawi Fisheries Department recently launched
a 10-year strategic plan that aims at restoring the Chambo to its 1980 status.
The plan aims to mobilize all Malawians towards wise and sustainable use of
fisheries resources.
Sources:
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Department
of Fisheries, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs, 10
year strategic plan for the restoration of the Chambo fishery in Malawi.
National Stakeholders consultative workshop, Boadzulu Holiday Resort,
Mangochi, 14-16 May 2003
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Malawi
News, Vol. 42 No 2460, November 20-29, 1999
Charles Mkoka is an independent Malawian environmental writer with much experience in environmental issues. He has worked in the field of environment and natural resources since 1996, after graduating from the Malawi Natural Resources College. Apart from being a writer, he is also a wildlife educator, specialist and guide. You can reach him at:
mkokach@yahoo.com.
