Illegal fishing worries Nkhata Bay communities
The Department of Fisheries in Nkhata Bay has expressed concern over increased illegal fishing in the district.
The district’s fisheries officer Dellings Kamenya said in an interview on Friday that inadequate resources were partly affecting efforts to deal with the challenge.
The department in a joint operation with Ripple Africa has since burnt over 200 illegal fishing gears confiscated during their routine operations.
“There is a lot of illegal fishing in the district. Most fishers take advantage of our weak enforcement mechanisms which is aggravated by inadequate financial resources to use illegal fishing gear,” said Kamenya.
He said it was sad that the practice was threatening the extinction of highly economic fish stocks such as chambo.
Kamenya said: “We do not allow such illegal fishing gear because it is not only harmful to fish but also some aquatic life also gets trapped.
“It is imperative that communities preserve fish species for the next generations.”
Ripple Africa country director Force Ngwira said in a separate interview that his organisation through its Fish for Tomorrow Project has intensified efforts to reverse the trend.
“Community structures such as beach village committees have been confiscating illegal fishing gears along the lake so that we sustainably use the fish resources for tomorrow,” said Ngwira.
Ripple Africa is implementing a project which encourages communities along Lake Malawi to protect fisheries resources by, among others, adhering to fishing regulations and venturing into other income-generating activities.
