•FISH farming ensures the constant supply of fish to the rural and urban population with the water bodies remaining intact.

By SEBASTIAN CHIPAKO –

FISHERIES in Zambia contribute to rural economic growth and commerce providing significant economic opportunities for the poor, providing income for more than 300,000 people.
This is according to a paper produced by the World Food Programme called Fisheries in Zambia: An undervalued contributor to poverty eradication.
The sector no doubt contributes immensely to national food security and public health, especially to our rural population.
This otherwise life-saving sector which others believe has for a long time served as a safe net to most rural and urban population, has been under threat through unconventional and largely deadly methods of fishing by illegal fishers.
Most of these methods pose a threat of fast wiping out fish stocks in most of our water bodies and are potentially life-threatening.
In Shiwang’andu District of Muchinga Province, fishing has been very cardinal in providing the necessary proteins to the population, although it has come under threat by illegal fishermen engaged in the use of chemicals and unauthorised fishing methods.
Recent media reports do not make good reading for people fostering the development of aquaculture in the district as well as at national level.
In a recent radio report, fishers used unidentified chemicals to
capture fish and one of the consumers of this fish, an eight-year-old boy died, while the other four, including the fishers ended up being hospitalised.
The fishers engage in illegal fishing activities with impunity and threaten to destroy fish breeding grounds and fingerlings as well as threaten the lives of many potential consumers.
In most cases, fishermen in the district use traditional methods of fishing. Most popular among them is the use of a pesticide known as Tephlozia Vogeli also known as  Ububa in Bemba.
Acting Shiwang’andu District agricultural coordinator Edwin Kikamba, who is also Fisheries and Livestock coordinator lamented the widespread use of these illegal substances by Fishmongers despite continuous sensitisation campaigns by his office within the district.
Mr Kikamba revealed that in most cases, the fish mongers use these methods to catch even the smallest of fish in water bodies.
“They use such items as mosquito nets, pesticides, herbicides and other poisonous chemicals because they want to get all the fish including the smallest of fish, so this may cause depleting of all the fish even those that are breeding”, he explains.
He further said fish mongers need to give chance for the fish to breed adequately to enable the fish to be replenished.
Mr Kikamba added that the mongers should realise that fish resources are also for future generations, hence the need for them to use sustainable methods even though fish is renewable coupled with that, it can also dwindle to unrecoverable levels.
In Shiwang’andu District, fish accounts for a huge percentage of
protein source in many households as in most cases it is cheaply acquired.  Therefore, there is need to safeguard the seemingly endangered resource.
In most cases, enforcing of the already existing established laws is identified as one of the deterrents that can be a success if properly implemented.
Sensitisation alone would be difficult as most of the fish mongers have been accustomed to illegal fishing methods since their childhood days, thus established laws would complement the efforts of the department of fisheries regular sensitisation campaigns.
Mr Kikamba reveals that his office has intensified on enforcing the fisheries Act of 2011, Section 15 of the Laws of Zambia that forbids these methods of fishing as it has been realised that numerous and continuous sensitisation efforts are proving futile.
In one notable case, a headman of Kaleta Village in Chief Mukwikile’s Chiefdom was recently nabbed after he was suspected to have used Tephlozia Vogeli popularly known by the local community as “Ububa.”
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) in the district had to collaborate with Zambia Police to apprehend the suspect who is yet to appear in the court of law. In the event, the culprit is prosecuted or fined; it will serve as a deterrent to other villagers who wanted to take a similar path of illegal fishing.
It is worthy stating that, in rural areas, these practices of illegal fishers are so common, so much that sensitisation alone in rural communities would not help much to avert these detrimental practices recurring.
What is evident however, are difficulties in implementing or rather enforcing the fisheries Act by relevant authorities not only in Shiwang’andu District but also in other districts countrywide.
In most areas, the Fisheries departments are under-staffed and do not have adequate resources to carry out their activities including enforcing of the Fisheries Act all year round.
Mr Kikamba says staffing levels in the district are very low thus affecting smooth operations.
“There is only one fisheries officer at district level against very vast lands, he has to cover for all fisheries operations including enforcing the Fisheries Act,’’ he says.
There is need to have more Officers to be deployed and accorded resources to undertaken patrols as well as a field vehicle if the vice is to be put to an end and enhance the Act’s popularity.
Mr Kikamba says the office is adversely affected in not only enforcing the law but also in as far as camp operations are concerned.
He, however, encouraged fish mongers to engage in fish farming adding that the trade is cost effective and require minimal management levels compared to other forms of farming.
“If these farmers explore aquaculture, it would hugely off-set the deficit of fish supply during the Fish ban and advantageous as areas such as Shiwang’andu are endowed with plenty of water bodies,” he said.
District Fisheries officer Hubert Ng’ambi who shared similar sentiments, however, added that aquaculture, which is basically fish farming that farmers can engage in as a profitable enterprise noting that this would be the best alternative to fight illicit and dangerous methods of fishing.
Mr Ng’ambi says Shiwang’andu District has massive potential
for fish farming as it is endowed with plenty of water bodies that run all year round hence the need for farmers to exploit and make use of this opportunity.
“Shiwang’andu District is one of the most lucky districts in the
province, the district has numerous streams, rivers and a lot more water bodies that are perennial which give farmers tremendous opportunities for fish farming”, he says.
He further adds that the biggest ally in the fight against these uncouth methods of fishing is the community because they are adversely affected by these bad practices.
Mr Ng’ambi said that the community should be made aware that fish poisoning is bad and report anyone found wanting.
The poison would not only kill the fish but also wipe out other micro and macro organisms in water bodies subsequently destroying the eco-system.
Mr Ng’ambi, however, the department would continue to work closely with the Police and the community in a quest to put curb these bad methods of fishing.
It is, therefore, very clear that some direct interventions in ridding of these lethal methods of fishing by fishers is by effectively enforcing of the fisheries Act and also to foster aggressive fish farming.
Fish farming particularly would ensure the constant supply of fish to the rural and urban population with the water bodies remaining intact.
It is a sure way of not only having enough fish for consumption but also would be a very good source of income, especially for rural households. – NAIS