SMUGGLING of fish resources in Lake
Victoria by traders from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), Rwanda and Burundi is costing Tanzania billions of shillings.
A survey carried out at various fish
landing sites in the lake has revealed that some traders collude with
leaders of Beach Management Units (BMUs). Notorious exit points
includes; Murusagamba, Kabanga and Rusumo (Ngara district), Murongo
(Karagwe district), Mutukula, Kanyigo, Kashenye and Kyaka in Misenyi
district, Bugabo and Rubafu in Bukoba Rural district. Illegal fishing
together with destruction of the
environment have resulted into
depletion of at least 400 fish species in the lake in the last four
decades.
Kagera Regional Commissioner (RC), John
Mongela said starting this week that all fishing activities in Lake
Victoria and other smaller lakes had been suspended for an indefinite
period to allow fish to multiply and mature.
Smaller lakes includes; Burigi,
Rumanyika, Ikimba, Liko, Karenge, Mitoma, Rwakajunju, Kamakala, Rushwa,
Melula and Katwe. According to fishing census conducted during 2012, the
region had a total of 23,067 registered fishermen and 7,183 fishing
boats.
Fish species found in Lake Victoria
includes the famous; Nile Perch, Sardines, Sato and Furu. Authorities
have pledged close monitoring of the fishing gear to avert
intensification of the threat. Mongela reminded fishermen and the public
to avoid using explosives and other un-recommended fishing methods
which destroys the ecological balance of the lake. Speaking on the
regional economic planning and challenges faced in the last five years
which now required extra supervision, he gave an example of aggressive
measures taken by the government to control the situation.
“Impounded fishing gear worth 611.4m/-
have been destroyed. These includes 6,089 gill nets which are below six
inches, 469 mono-filaments, 317 beach seines, dagaa nets below 8
millimetres and 192,274 metres of ropes used to tug boat sizes,” Mongela
explained. He added, “Additional efforts are necessary. Change of
attitude among fishermen and the general public cannot be overstated.
People must realise that the resources
belong to them and once depleted they will suffer the economic
consequences. This is a collective responsibility and each of us must
play part.” He said modern fishing gear increased from 1,077 engine
boats in 2005 to 1,942 in 2010. Also a total of 286 fishermen were
trained on modern fishing techniques.
“I call upon each of you to remain
vigilant and expose all those behind the illegal fishing including
dynamite fishing. “All fishermen must be licensed and their vessels
registered,” he said. Councils in Muleba, Bukoba, Ngara, Biharamulo,
Kyerwa, Karagwe and Misenyi Districts should ensure that drainage
systems are well preserved to allow water to flow smoothly.
Some of the notorious areas often
affected by floods in Bukoba municipality includes; Kashai/Matopeni,
Hamugembe/Omukigusha, Hamugembe/ Kashabo, Katatolwansi and some parts of
Bunin area.
The Aquaculture Division Director under
the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Charles Mahika, said in an
interview that he is optimistic that farmers in Kagera Region could
double their income through aquaculture following a scientific report
that a farmer could earn up to 20m/- in a year.
“Aquaculture is a very high value crop.
Farmers in Kagera Region are encouraged to adopt cage pen based
aquaculture because the region has a big potential. The region should
start bleeding program by training farmers on best fish farming
technology,” he said.
He advised farmers to contact the
Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI), for technical guidance
on how to get cages. Currently, the production of marine fisheries make
up only 13.71 per cent of the nation fish production.
The remaining production comes from
fresh waters, covering a total area of 58,000 square kilometres. This
includes three big lakes namely Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake
Nyasa, as well as major reservoirs, small water bodies, rivers and
ponds. The annual sustainable yield for all marine and island waters is
estimated to range from 400,000 -500,000 tons.
The average annual fish consumption in
Tanzania is estimated at 38kg. Fish contributes 40 per cent of the total
animal protein supply. By 1992 only a few regions were actively engaged
in fish farming.
They include; Ruvuma (4,960 ponds),
Mbeya (849 ), Iringa (753), Arusha (700) and Lindi (62). Reasons which
contributed to decline of aquaculture development in Tanzania include
the structural organization of the ministry, low priority given to
aquaculture for funds and training and land rights. At the regional and
district levels there is no specific budget for aquaculture activities.
Due to the relatively high construction
costs of fish ponds and the inability to meet preconditions for loans
from banks, most individual subsistence farmers who comprise 90 per cent
of all farmers, cannot take the risk of starting commercial fish
farms/ponds.
The advantage of aquaculture is that it
can be implemented on land that has a low or zero opportunity cost, for
example mangroves and swampy areas. According to Dr Mahika there are an
estimated 20,000 fish ponds in Tanzania with annual produce of 5,000
metric tonnes.
With well-managed skills ponds could
increase to 50,000 with yields increasing to 500,000 within a few
years,” he said. While fish farming or aquaculture may appear highly
technical to many qualified investors, it’s still a business at its core
and from this perspective it’s really no different from any other
alternative investment that may be under consideration.
Global aquaculture production of tilapia
was reported at 2.9 million metric tons in 2010, nearly tripling the
1.0 million metric tons recorded in 2000. The average annual growth rate
of the global tilapia farming industry for the trailing 10 year period
of 2000-2010 has been an astounding 19%.
The Officer in-charge of the Kagera
Region Surveillance Unit, Mr Appolinary Kyojo, said over 100,000 people
in the region depend on fisheries activities for their livelihood. “Lake
Victoria is under threat, and the very people this natural resource is
supposed to serve are the ones threatening its existence. Irresponsible
human activities are threatening the world’s second largest fresh water
lake,” he remarked.
“Lake Victoria is under threat, and the
very people this natural resource is supposed to serve are the ones
threatening its existence. Irresponsible human activities are
threatening the world’s second largest fresh water lake,” he remarked.
Lake Victoria is the largest fresh water
body in Africa, providing a lifeline for more than 5,000,000 people
living in rural communities on or near its shore. The Lake is their
source of water for bathing, drinking and cooking, and its fish
populations provide both protein and an income for families. Many of the
fish, including members of the lake’s large cichlid population, are
endemic found nowhere else on earth.
Over 30 million people in Lake Victoria
Basin (LVB) could greatly improve their livelihoods if they utilize the
abundant investment opportunities in the basin. Under the East African
Co-operation Treaty, the Lake Victoria basin has been categorized as an
economic growth zone. Available investment opportunities include
agriculture and livestock, trade and commerce, fishing, mining, wildlife
and tourism.
Others are hydro-power generation,
infrastructure development, human resources development, industries,
research and technology. Lake Victoria is the world’s second-largest
freshwater lake by area, but new research shows it ran almost completely
dry in a severe drought 16,000 years ago. Africa’s largest lake is
locally known as Lweru or “The Eye of the Rhino.”
Westerners will be more familiar with
the name Lake Victoria — given during the United Kingdom’s expeditions
of the area. In terms of surface area, it is second in size only to
North America’s Lake Superior.
In terms of its importance, Lake
Victoria supports the water resource needs of many central African
countries and feeds into the Nile River, which supplies freshwater to
some of Africa’s most densely populated areas. Recent research, however,
suggests that Lake Victoria, on at least three separate occasions in
its 400,000-year history, could not be called a lake at all because of
severe drought.
By taking core samples from Lake
Victoria, as well as Lakes Tana in Ethiopia and Van in Turkey,
researchers discovered that ancient Africa and southeast Asia suffered
an intense drought period roughly 16,000 years ago.
This drought parched the region and
emptied all of the sampled lakes, including Victoria. From the core
samples, researchers were able to pin the refill date of Lake Victoria
to around 14,000 years ago.
Based on these historical records, some
researchers suspect it’s only a matter of time before such a drought
happens again. There’s not yet a consensus on the cause of the droughts,
but speculations range from a shift in the Inter tropical Convergence
Zone to more recent theories that tropical rainfall was weakened across
Africa and Asia.
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