Overfishing threatening Malawi’s third largest lake, but is lifeline for fisherfolk

LILONGWE, Malawi: Overfishing is threatening Malawi’s third largest lake, but provides an economic lifeline to many fishing families.

The lake, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, has the largest number of endemic fish species in the world t be found anywhere else in the world.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development estimates that fishing contributes about four per cent to Malawi’s life- changing story tells it all. Kananji who is from a fishing family in Micesi Village Traditional Authority Mponda, in the lakeshore district of Mangochi, says she has in the meantime stopped purchasing fish because the trade is no longer lucrative compared to in previous years.

According to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocol report, water levels, driven by population growth, climate change and deforestation, is threatening its flora and fauna species with extinction.

Womenfolk who buy fish from fishermen have been pushed out of business because fishermen in most cases raise their prices to meet operating costs whenever there is a small catch.They find it hard to break even.

Vice Chairperson for Makanjira Beach Village Committee Malufu Shaibu said the fishing communities agree that fishing on the lake should shut down for a long time because it has shown that the move can help to improve fish levels on the lake.

He explained that during the past five months, assessment has shown that there are more fish species and volume that have started to be seen on the lake as opposed to when the lake was closed for two months only.

Mangochi District Fisheries Officer Thomas Nyasulu said that an office they are working with the newly revived Fisheries Association of Malawi to rein in on big commercial fishermen on the lake. He said closing the lake for a long period of time would make their work more easy and fulfilling.

The by-laws are working. In April this year a 40-year- old man was convicted and sentenced to pay a fine of K800,000 ( RM4,600) or in default serve 60 months imprisonment with hard labour for fishing on the lake when had closed contravening the fisheries conservation and Management Act.

Police prosecutor Maxwell Mwaluka told the court that on Mar 4, 2018 the chiefs working with the Fisheries Inspectorate in the district came across a commercial fishing company on the lake fishing.

He said the team seized the fishing materials and the convict was charged with three counts which he pleaded guilty to. — IPS