Fishing for the Future

There is a fine line between bountiful fishing and overfishing. Once that line is crossed, it can be difficult – and sometimes even impossible – for fish to rebound. For many years, the fish of the Zambezi River system have played a huge role in local livelihoods. To ensure that fish are here to stay, AWF is helping locals to monitor fish catches along with maintaining a new sustainable fishing industry.

Fisheries along the Zambezi River and its tributaries play a huge part in the livelihoods of local people. In fact, the upper part of the river alone feeds 300,000 people. The sardine fishery on Lake Kariba yields more than 30,000 tons of fish annually, valued at more than $55 million a year.

However, like with all natural resources, overuse can ultimately take a toll, and in the Zambezi River system, which spans eight nations, there are limited resource monitoring systems in place to ensure sustainable use of the fisheries. AWF is helping to change that in the hope that fish will continue to be a mainstay of this region well into the future.

Communities that live in the Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia trans-frontier area rely on shared fishery resources. The threat of resource degradation has been very high for years, which is why AWF has sought to create detailed resource inventories that help to establish the status of the fish population, and inform recommendations for sustainable resource use.

AWF created the Aquatic Resources Working Group (ARWG), a group of technical experts drawn from the respective fisheries departments in five countries where AWF works: Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Their priority was to gain a greater understanding of the fish that swim in the Zambezi River system as well as a clearer picture of the river system itself.

The ARWG examined and documented cross-border migration patterns and home ranges for selected fish species in relation to habitat characteristics, and then recorded the effects of fluctuations in water levels, temperature changes, and seasonality on fish migration behavior and breeding.

The culmination of this research is embodied in the Zambezi Heartland’s new conservation enterprise – the Ngwena Commercial Fishing Cooperative. To create a model for sustainable fishing, AWF facilitated the establishment of this community fishing enterprise in the Chapoto Chiefdom of Mbire District on the Zimbabwean side of the trans-frontier area.

With a membership of 30 local community households, the Ngwena Fishing Cooperative underwent institutional capacity building, had a constitution developed, secured a fishing permit and trained its members in various entrepreneurial skills. These skills included the application of viable fishing technologies, catch and financial record keeping, leadership and governance issues, as well as safety and first aid.

The Ngwena Fishing Cooperative will continue to implement best fishing practices including using appropriate fishing gear, fishing in appropriate zones of the river, and using sustainable fish processing techniques. These best practices provide adequate areas for fish breeding, and limit the pressures on fish stock to levels that are sustainable.

Using proper management, AWF and the Ngwena Fishing Cooperative aim to ensure that robust fish populations can continue to provide people with sustenance and a livelihood, and endangered native fish species continue to survive for the benefit of future generations.