Malawi hit the world's
headlines last October when
David Banda was adopted by Madonna. Prior to this, few people
outside of Africa knew much about Malawi, apart perhaps from
the fact that it has
the fifth largest lake in the world.
But like the turmoil in the Madonna case, which saw human
rights activists fighting against David’s adoption, Lake
Malawi is in turmoil with its fish stocks diminishing and
the fishing industry suffering low catches.
Lake Malawi
contains the most diverse lake fish fauna in
the world
with an estimated 1,000 species. (1)
But Maldeco Fisheries Limited, the only industrial fishing
company operating in the country, is currently producing
just over 30 percent of the fish it produced 10 years ago. (2)
Income
lost
One person who is suffering the effects of the declining
fish stocks in Lake Malawi is 44-year-old fisherman Samson
Chelinda from the lake district of Mangochi. He laments his
gradual loss of income from fish sales.
“My whole livelihood and that of my family comes from fish
sales but now I struggle to make a living since I don’t
catch as much fish as I used to. I now struggle to pay
school fees for my children and I can no longer afford basic
necessities,” said Chelinda.
Lake Malawi is a crucial source of income to many Malawians. According to the
country’s 2006/2007 national budget, about 1.6 million out
of 12 million Malawians are dependent on the fishing
industry. In addition, more than 300,000 people make their
living from activities related to the lake and its fish (3).
These activities include fish processing, marketing of services and
products, boat building and engine repair.
The industry
also has a much wider importance. Fish provides over 60
percent of the dietary animal protein intake of Malawians
and 40 percent of Malawians’ total protein supply. (4)
However, the budgetary report also confirmed the sharp decline in
fish caught in Lake Malawi. The last available data shows
that the quantity of fish delivered fell from 69,100 tonnes
in 1998 to 44,849 tonnes a year later.
The plunging fish stocks is also negatively affecting Malawi’s tourist industry.
With
its deep, clear waters and mountain backdrop, the Lake
Malawi national park is a natural aquarium
and is among the most popular tourist
destinations in the country (5).
Tour guide Maxwell Chefasi says the evidence is unequivocal.
“There are some fish species which you don’t see anymore
when you visit Lake Malawi. The fish stocks are slowly
diminishing,” says Chefasi.
Time to act
The primary reasons for the shrinking fish stocks are unsustainable
fishing practices and non-compliance with fishing
regulations, according to Malawi’s Department of Fisheries.
(6)
Malawians agree that something needs to be done to arrest
and reverse the decline of the Lake Malawi.
Indeed, the Malawian government has implemented several initiatives
to boost fish stocks and to re-establish Lake Malawi as a
sustainable resource.
The first is
a ‘Fish Restoration Strategic Plan’ that involves Lake
Malawi’s most popular species, called chambo (Oreochromis
karongae). This once prolific species is on the brink of
extinction and the programme involves restocking the lake
with chambo bred outside the lake and then re-introduced.
The
government has also placed a ban on the use of high-yield
fishing gear in Lake Malawi between October and December,
the crucial spawning season. Communities living on the
shores of the lake are encouraged to police this initiative.
In
addition, Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika launched a
fish breeding programme for the export market in 2006. Under
this programme, fish are bred and raised in cages which
allows greater control over the population.
However, talking about initiatives and changes in policy is one
thing, making them work and sustaining the initiatives is
another. Only if Malawians adhere to the plans might there
be hope that fish stocks will recover.
Worldwide
problem
In Africa,
declining fish stocks are not unique to Malawi. The fishing
industry in neighbouring South Africa also had a turbulent
2006 which was characterised by low catches, smaller fish
and longer trips to fertile fishing grounds. (7)
It is a similar story
across the globe.
A recent study of more than 100 fishing regions, published
in the journal Science, suggested that if current
trends are maintained, every seafood species will have
collapsed below commercially viable levels by 2048. (8)
The report blamed the problem on over-fishing, pollution and
habitat destruction — mostly on coastlines and in coral
regions. Researchers assessed catch numbers recorded by the
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Sea
Around Us Project, at the University of Columbia. The
stark conclusion was that fish stocks will collapse in the
next 40 years.
They also analysed human impact on 12 regions, including the
North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Adriatic Sea, examined
archives and sediment cores over a thousand-year period and
looked at initiatives designed to promote species recovery.
Action required
The study by Science also found that the global cod
catch has decreased from 3.1 million tonnes in 1970 to
950,000 tonnes in 2000, that and that fish stocks in North
Atlantic are one sixth of levels 100 years ago.
On a positive note, the researchers stated that once marine
ecosystems receive protection, they quickly recover.
Increases in biodiversity were associated with large
increases in fisheries production and with increased and
lucrative, tourism, they reported.
It is clear that individual countries need to forge regional
and global partnerships to ensure that the battle against
the declining fish stocks is fought as a united front. This
needs to happen soon but political commitment is still
feeble.
Nowhere is the degree of urgency more apparent than on the
shores of Lake Malawi. The worried looks on the faces of
returning fishermen sum up the desperate plight of their
traditional natural larder. Unless the tide is turned
soon, the lake may become little more than pretty, yet
lifeless, tourist attraction. |
