Panos joins fish project in Sinazongwe

By SANDRA MACHIMA PANOS Institute Southern Africa (PSAf) has partnered with community members in Sinazongwe to design and construct fish ponds before the onset of the rainy season to help increase fish production in the area.

PSAf executive director Lilian Saka Kiefer said Panos was working with the local fisheries department and experts to support the communities to adopt fish farming to meet the demand for fish for local consumption and for sale.

Ms Kiefer said the success of fish farming would make a big difference in the districts where livelihoods for the majority of community members revolved around fishing.

It also reduce the pressure on Lake Kariba and the Zambezi River which had experienced significant declines in capture fish outputs.

“Realising the far-reaching threats presented by fish depletion in water bodies like lakes and rivers, Panos has supported the community members along the Zambezi Valley to adopt fish farming as one of the solutions,

“Through Panos support, the community members have started designing and constructing fish ponds, with the aim of having the ponds in place before the onset of the rainy season.

She said the community members have put in place systems to stop fishing in breeding areas, adding that Panos supported the community members to share information through radio and community action groups by ensuring all members were fully engaged in the efforts to address fish depletion.

The fishing communities and experts have attributed the nosedive in fishing output to several factors, including unsustainable practices such as hammering, basket fishing and the use of mosquito nets.