A socio-economic survey was undertaken in two lowland areas amongst communities living around small water bodies as part of the pilot project, Utilization of Small Water Bodies in Lesotho. The survey was carried out by a Consultant Socio-economist, appointed by ALCOM, together with a District Officer from the Bureau of Youth and Women's Affairs.
The main aim of the survey was to determine household attitudes towards fresh, frozen and processed fish in order to assess the scale and nature of the demand for fish in Lesotho and thereby contribute to the identification of the likely path for future sustainable development of small water body exploitation.
The survey also aimed to collect information on attitudes towards, and consumption of, ducks because integrated fish-cum-duck farming in rural communities is part of the Short Term Action Programme identified for the Fisheries Section.
Two different survey methods were used and their effectiveness tested. Households were interviewed using a formal interview schedule and a Sesotho translation of the schedule was distributed to individuals at village meetings. Selection of households for interviews was based on a quasi-random sampling method, aiming at a 10% sampling fraction based on the estimated number of households in each selected village.
92 households were interviewed in 5 villages covering a total of 624 persons. The Sesotho questionnaire was distributed to 29 households and 22 were returned. This questionnaire was abandoned because the reliability of responses as well as the fact that many questions remained unanswered caused doubt as to the effectiveness of this method.
Results from the interviews indicate that only 18% of all households catch fish for household consumption in the reservoirs and rivers mainly using hook and line. All fish catchers are either herdboys or adult males who fish infrequently.
The results indicate that the majority of households eat fresh fish, but infrequently because it is not available and because they do not know how to catch fish. In the case of female-headed households a main constraint is that they do not have access to the reservoir/dams because they do not feel able to go fishing alone, nor do they have the knowledge on how to catch fish.
Only 18 % of the interviewed households say that they do not eat fresh fish, mainly because they do not know how to catch fish. Secondly, some say they do not like it.
Although fresh fish is eaten, 48 % of households claim that they eat it very rarely. Of these households, 76% report that all household members eat fresh fish; whilst in the remaining households it is one or two members that do not eat fish.
A majority of households ( 91%) reported that they did not know the type of fish eaten, and no household said they ate more than one type.
Households often sun-dry the fish before cooking. This appears to be a frequent and acceptable way to prepare as well as to store fish. The most common way of cooking sun dried or fresh fish is frying.
The main source of fresh fish for households is the purchase from friends or neighbours, the local market and fishermen.
90% of all households report that they eat tinned fish, with 64% eating it 2 –3 times a month. Cooked fish in the form of fish and chips is popular, but is eaten more rarely than tinned fish, with 50% of households reporting that they eat it only once a month. Other forms of fish such as salted and frozen are eaten very rarely and by fewer households.
Fish in all forms is given as weaning food beginning at 3 – 12 months of age.
Only 55% of the households reported that they ate ducks, and of those households, 80% reported that they ate them very rarely. Asked whether they preferred chicken (the obvious substitute) to duck, 60% of households said they liked both equally. Those households that do not eat duck reported that the reasons was lack of availability (46%) and dislike of the appearance or smell of duck (39%).
Few households reported any taboos against eating fish or ducks; those that did said that pregnant women could not eat them because their baby would take on some of the characteristics of the animal such as webbed feet in the case of ducks and a large mouth in the case of fish.
Results from the Sesotho questionnaire are patchy, but participant households generally give similar responses to those who were interviewed. The questionnaire was only distributed in Ramapepe/Thaba Patsoa and thus results should be compared with those households interviewed in that area only. Results indicate that all households eat fresh fish, that one-third of households have members who catch fish occasionally for auto-consumption, using hook and line. When asked about preferences for chicken or fish, 75% of the responses indicated that they liked both equally, compared to the 60% of households who were interviewed. 81% of households said that they ate ducks, with 67% of these claiming that they reared ducks themselves.
Data on fish consumption at a national level is limited, but indicates that tinned fish is the most commonly consumed type with an average annual per capital consumption of around 800 grammes. However, household expenditure on fish remains less than expenditure on other forms of animal protein indicating that fish is one of the less popular forms of animal protein.
It is concluded that fresh fish is acceptable in the surveyed areas because the majority of households eat fresh fish and have indicated their desire to eat more.
Some female respondents indicated that they are interested in catching fish but that they currently feel they neither have access to the reservoir nor the necessary fishing skills.
Sun-dried fish is important in two ways because it solves the problem of storage and it has implications for income generating activities.
Households have indicated that they like fried fish (and chips) which has been bought from a shop which means that the taste of fresh fish is liked.
Whilst tinned fish is eaten by the majority of the population, the results suggest that there is a potential for substituting tinned fish with fresh fish provided prices are competitive.
Concerning consumption of ducks, the survey results show that fewer households eat duck than fish. The incidence of nonduck eating households has been mainly because ducks have not been available for sale and thus households have never had an opportunity to taste them. However, the results do show that there is also some resistance towards duck consumption because of respondents do not like their appearance.
It is recommended that ways to increase fish production in these reservoirs should be developed and that opportunities for the active involvement of women in the exploitation of small water bodies should be investigated. In addition, as the numbers increase of unemployed young men in Lesotho as a result of declining employment opportunities in the Republic of South Africa, the potential for their involvement in the fishery should also be explored.
Households could benefit from demonstrations on ways to gut freshly caught fish, on methods of filleting fish and improved sun-drying. Low cost fish processing methods, such as sun-drying, should also be investigated as a way of generating cash incomes for rural households and contributing to the solution of storage of fresh fish in rural areas.
As ducks are likely to be regarded as a substitute for chicken, difficulties in gaining acceptability of ducks can be offset by increased availability and encouragement of consumption through preparation demonstrations and tasting sessions.
For purposes of comparison and for assessing the demand for fresh fish in other areas of Lesotho, the survey could be continued by the Fisheries Section in cooperation with the Bureau for Youth and Women's Affairs
