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Fish Farce
The fishing ban,
announced by Government in early December, was indeed a move in the
right direction if we are to conserve our fish resources.
From 1925 the
fisheries sector in Zambia was managed under the Game Laws and it
was only in 1943 that the Fish Control Regulations Act was enacted.
Restrictions, closed seasons and licensing were meant to allow for
selective removal of certain specimens at particular times because
they limited the amount of fish to be harvested thus preventing the
depletion of fish resources. Another aspect was the regulation of
the size of the fish as this would eventually lead to their
extinction. Thus, when specific fishing regulations began to emerge
there was emphasis on setting minimum mesh sizes for fishing nets
and the width of apertures in fishing traps and baskets. The minimum
mesh sizes were designed to ensure that all the fish caught in a net
were bigger and would have bred once.
These
regulations also banned active fishing or
kutumpula
as
it is locally known. Kutumpula is the driving of fish into nets by
splashing and the beating of paddles and was considered harmful as
it operates in shallow and weedy areas where the fish go to breed.
Sadly, the lack
of enforcement of regulations has led to a decline in fish stocks
around the country. On Lake Mweru, in 1955, there were less than
2,000 fishermen with 8,500 nets and the annual catch was between
6,000 and 9,000 tonnes a year. In 1992, there were almost 10,000
fishermen employing 16,000 people and 46,000 nets, yet the annual
yield was still around 6,000 tonnes. In order to survive, these
fishermen and women have resorted to using smaller and smaller nets.
In the 50’s and 60’s, the standard mesh size was 102 – 145 mm (4 – 5
inches). Now the standard mesh size is 63 mm (2.5 inches) and in
some cases, even mosquito netting is being used.
 The
reduction of our fish resources not only has implications on the
livelihood of the fishers, but also on the protein intake of
Zambians. Fish accounts for 47% of protein in our diets.
The other
implication is that on our tourist industry. Many tourists visit
Zambia specifically for angling and if the big beasts which they are
after are not available, they are going to go elsewhere, together
with their tourist Dollars.
Yet, despite all the hype about the fishing ban, each time
I drive through Mazabuka, I encounter many people selling fish on
the side of the road and each time when I stop to ask where they
caught the fish, they proudly tell me ‘Kafue River’ and they also
proudly pose for a photograph. So, clearly, the Minister’s statement
that during the time of the fish ban, the fisheries staff and the
Police would set up check-points, conduct searches and undertake
both water and roadblocks to ensure compliance was, again, merely
lip service.
The
question is what can be done about this? First off must be
sufficient funding to the Fisheries Department so that they can
carry out enforcement of the regulations. According to a debate in
Parliament in February 2004, despite an allocation of K 1 billion to
the Fisheries Department in 2003, none of it was released. Also,
year on year, the allocation has been declining.
Secondly, I
should imagine it would not be too difficult to enforce a
restriction on the minimum size of fishing nets which can be
manufactured and sold in the country. Such a restriction would also
be in the interest of the net manufacturers as when we have no fish
left, they will also not have a market for their products.
The third, I
guess, is the most difficult and that is the will to actively and
fairly enforce such regulations as exist, not only as regards
fishing, but in many other aspects. And this, readers, is where we
are failing. |
February
2005