Nile Perch and Tilapia may be extinct from Lake Victoria in the next three to five years if urgent measures to control illegal fishing are not taken by relevant authorities.
Nile Perch
Experts from Mauritius based Indian Ocean Commission’s SmartFish Programme have warned that increasing numbers of unregulated artisanal fishermen and use of illegal fishing gear, is leading to over fishing of the two species which constitute the bulk of fish species found in the largest Tropical fresh water body.
Marcel Kroese and Davide Signa said demand for Nile Perch and Tilapia in Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda is fuelling an increase of artisanal fishermen who are using banned types of fishing nets to get big catches which include juvenile fish.
“If East Africa carries on with over fishing as is the case currently then it will be like Malawi which has seen its catches reduced from more than 30,000, metric tonnes to 2,000 tonnes in the past twenty years,” warned Kroese while speaking to ‘Daily News on Saturday’ at the sidelines of a regional media training of fisheries drawing journalists from Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
He said because of shortage of legally acceptable fish for catching, use of multi filament fishing nets means less catches hence most fishermen resort to banned single filament nets and beach seines.
“The legal size of fish to be caught is between 50 and 85 centimetres, anything less or more is illegal,” said Kroese who is an expert in monitoring and surveillance of fisheries. Most of the illegal nets are imported from India and China and experts want governments in the East Africa region to improve monitoring and surveillance while stopping importation of banned nets.
Presenting a paper on Overview of global fisheries in Eastern and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region, Mr Signa said Africa has the largest fleet of fishing vessels in the world after China although many such vessels are canoes owned by artisanal fishermen.
“It is difficult to control these artisanal fishermen who are not licenced and often use illegal gear such as mosquito nets,” said Signa who pointed out that Lake Victoria’s fish stocks will soon reach levels which will not allow further fishing.
He suggested that communities be allowed to manage their fisheries resources, be sensitised on the need to refrain from juvenile fish catching and finding alternative means of living to the thousands of artisanal fishermen.
According to Controller and Auditor General’s report published last January, a stock assessment survey reports conducted by Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO) indicate that there has been a rapid decline of the Nile perch since 2000 while there was increased total catches of the species during the period.
“An average minimum stock on the Tanzanian side is estimated to be 391 tonnes in the 35,088 km of the Tanzania side while the Nile perch stock has decreased beyond the minimum stock required to sustain regeneration, the Nile perch stock is estimated to be around 200 tonnes in the same area,” the CAG report noted.
The CAG audit which covered a period of three years from June 2008 to December 2011 collected data from Mwanza, Kagera and Mara regions in 15 districts where fisheries is an occupation.
By FINNIGAN WA SIMBEYE, Tanzania Daily News
