32. It was also noted that as the artisanal fishery developed in 1962, there were 2 520 fishermen. The number started declining in 1963 and reached its lowest of 415 fishers in 1967. After the official opening in 1980 of the fishery, 953 fishers were estimated. The number of fishers increased again in the 1980s from 953 to 3 502 in 1990. In 1994, fishing villages were re-organized (re-grouped) and the 1995 Frame Survey recorded a lower fisher population of 1355.
33. It was highlighted that with increased fisher population, there has been a corresponding decrease in catch per fisherman per night. This has resulted in traditional leaders, the Chiefs, calling for a fish ban from December to February and/or complete closure of all identified fish breeding areas along the lakeshore.
34. It was reported that due to the decline in fish abundance the number of days for a fish trader to buy 200 kg fish increased from about four (4) days to two weeks or more. Most industrial fishers are increasingly using fish-finding, echosounders and their rigs are highly mechanized.
35. The delegates heard that the lack of recent kapenta biomass estimates is not health for the management of the kapenta/pelagic fishery. Without this data, it is impossible to estimate number of licenses to be offered for sale in a particular year or season or number of rigs to be allowed in a particular area.
36. It was reported that the numbers of fish species encountered in the research gillnet surveys has reduced from 31 in 1985-86 to 17 in 2000-2003. The fish species catch composition has changed from Hydrocynus vittatus (1985-86) dominance to Synodontis zambezensis (2000 to 2003) dominance. Momyrops longirostris and Cichlid species reflected high contribution to the catch in terms of Index of Relative importance in 1985-86, but in recent years it is almost absent from the research gillnet catches. Fish species of less economic importance (Barbus paludinosus and Brycinus lateralis) are slowly becoming more prominent.
37. The fish biodiversity is changing possibly due to fishing pressure.
