PRESENT SITUATION
Chembe is located on an open bay on the northern part of the Monkey Bay peninsula. It is well protected from the strong winds which blow in the southern and eastern sections of Lake Malawi.
Chembe is accessible by road on the Monkey Bay-Cape Maclear road which is 13 miles long (a fork to the right 2 miles before Cape Maclear, leads to Chembe).
Enquiries made established that the fishery at Chembe shows very good results from March to November inclusive. The bulk of the catches is utaka. After this season, because of the bad condition of the roads during the heavy rains, there are few buyers at the beach and there is no utaka fishing, the fish caught during the dead season being chiefly catfish.
The fish traders come from inland markets (Lilongwe, Ncheu, Blantyre, etc.), buy the fish from the fishermen at the beach, process the fish in not very satisfactory form, then return to their markets and sell their dried or smoked fish.
Many of the small buyers used bicycles as a means of transport, carrying just one basket of fish. Others make use of lorries. Sometimes, when supplies are sufficiently large, the traders jointly hire a truck to transport their fish. Sometimes they charter a barge of the Malawi Railways Lake Service to send the fish, packed in bags, to Chipoka from where it is distributed to inland markets.
According to census information obtained at the end of November 1964, the most recent data available, there were in Chembe at that time 72 individual fishermen and four commercial fishermen with their crews. Their equipment was composed of:
During July 1965, the Fisheries Assistant posted to the area reported a total number of 150 fishermen at Chembe. The fishermen's population changes because the fishermen:
are not full-time fishermen and are engaged part time in agricultural activities
move along the lake shore to take advantage of seasonal changes in fishing conditions
The nearest fishing requisites supply point is Fort Johnston. There are many fishermen, however, who prefer to go to Blantyre to buy their fishing equipment.
On 25 April 1966, 1.5 short tons of utaka were caught with three chilimila nets.
OBSERVATIONS
An effort should be made to carry out a detailed survey of fishing activities at this beach and to promote a rational expansion of operations. The following appears to be desirable:
Supplying fishermen with fishing equipment and spares at the cheapest price possible.
Teaching them improved fishing techniques, suitable to local conditions.
Ensuring that catches are sold without delay.
Setting up simple fish processing facilities in the beach area (several suitable types of smoking kilns have been studied and experiments with such equipment have been carried out by FAO field experts in countries where processing conditions are similar to those encountered in Malawi).
Some of the difficulties which might be expected in carrying out such a programme are that the fishermen themselves do not want to be involved in fish processing, and the buyers, who are curing the fish, are generally not lake shore residents and, since they are used to moving from beach to beach, are somewhat reluctant to have fish processing equipment at fixed beaches. But, even if previous efforts to introduce kilns in the interest of producing an improved product have not been successful to date, it is important to try a new to see whether at least some people could be persuaded to undertake fish curing operations with adequate equipment on a permanent basis.
An attempt should be made to improve further the quality of processed fish as well as the processing techniques by introducing methods by which the consumption of firewood and labour per weight unit of fish would be reduced in comparison with present practice.
Improving the transport of fish to markets.
A development programme along the above lines can only be implemented if fish production is of sufficient importance to warrant the necessary expenditure. Fishing equipment in adequate supply must also be available on short order in the retail outlets to forestall a waste of potential fishing time.
The Fisheries Division should strive to obtain the collaboration of fishing gear manufacturers or wholesalers to extend the sale of fishing nets, ropes, corks, hooks, etc. to the small retail stores in the villages along the lake shore. Alternatively, if the collaboration of suppliers in the provision of reasonably priced equipment cannot be obtained, the Government should set up a Fund for Help to Fishermen under the care of the Fish Rangers to facilitate the purchase of small equipment. The Fund for Help to Fishermen would be operated separately from the Central Farmers Loan Board which grants loans not only for agricultural purposes but also for the purchase of fishing boats, outboard engines, and major items of fishing gear. The loans by the latter agency are granted under the following conditions:
no application for a loan of less than £20 is considered;
the maximum amount which may normally be granted for an individual loan is £250;
application for loans in excess of £250 may be considered by the Board in special cases and authorised by the Minister on the Board's recommendation.
The suggested Fund for Help to Fishermen would provide the fishermen only with the small equipment they need in their daily activities: nets, ropes, twines, corks or other types of floats, hooks, etc.
The Fund would buy this equipment from the manufacturers and sell it direct to the fishermen.
To improve fish processing, transport and marketing in the areas adjacent to the southern part of Lake Malawi and Lake Malombe, which are at present accessible by roads, several measures can be taken, viz:
the Malawi Development Corporation could buy fish from the fishermen and process and transport it to the markets. Processing should take place on the spot or at Michesi, the base of the Malawi Development Corporation.
the Government could provide smoking kilns for the fish curers through the Central Farmers Loan Board, which should make provision for loans for such equipment. The Malawi Development Corporation could then buy the fish from the processors.
alternatively, both courses could be pursued simultaneously; this might be the most satisfactory solution.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Taking into consideration the number of fishermen operating at Chembe, the possibilities of creating a pilot centre for African fisheries development at this location should be explored.
Chembe is not far from Monkey Bay, where the Fisheries Research Station is based.
Furthermore, inasmuch as Chembe has satisfactory road connections with Fort Johnston, and through it with other consumer centres, fresh fish could be distributed from there to important markets if proper fish icing facilities are provided. This might reduce the need for processing the entire catch.
There is a possibility that upon further investigation other important fishing beaches might be preferred as sites for pilot operations. No matter what site or sites are chosen, the activities to be organised at such pilot centres should include those outlined above. Agreement on the organisation of the pilot centres, staff and equipment required, running costs, source of funds etc. should be reached in discussion with all parties interested in fisheries development in Malawi.
