Chambo and Chips Missing on Malawi Menus

Fishermen display their empty nets

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

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

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:

• 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
• 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.