Karonga fishers abandon use of illegal gear

K

aporo Beach Village Committee secretary John Hunga says collaboration between fishers and community leaders has resulted in communities abandoning the use of illegal fishing gear such as mosquito nets.

He said this on Tuesday when Lupembe, Mandala and Kambwe beach village committees visited Kaporo to learn how they can successfully stop using illegal gear.

Hunga said fishers and community leaders developed community by-laws to protect fish resources in Lake Malawi.

He said: “We held meetings with traditional leaders, fishers and the community where we formulated by-laws to punish everyone found fishing using a mosquito net.

“We also punish defaulters with a K50 000 fine.”

Kambwe Beach Village Committee chairperson Glyn Mtawali said they learned that unity was key to ending the use of illegal fishing gear in Lake Malawi.

“The collaboration between beach village committees and traditional leaders to secure fish breeding areas is good,” he said.

On his part, Lupembe Beach Village Committee chairperson Forty Kaunda said the visit was unforgettable experience.

“Mosquito nets kill small fish which also fetch low prices on the market. Again, mosquito nets contain chemicals which are a health hazard to people,” he said.

Karonga district senior assistant fisheries officer Richard Kamanga asked other fishers to borrow a leaf from Kaporo fishers.

“Mosquito nets catch everything and destroy the bottom part of the lake which is also the breeding area for fish,” he said.

Governance for Solutions project with funding from the United States Agency for International Development through Development Alternatives Incorporated facilitated the learning visit.