ALCOM Report No. 23

FAO LIBRARY AN:382633

RESERVOIR FISHERY IN EASTERN PROVINCE OF ZAMBIA by Henk W. van der Mheen Aquaculturist and Jennie van der Mheen-Sluijer Socio-economist

Funding Agencies:
SWEDISH INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
BELGIAN ADMINISTRATION FOR DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION

Executing Agency.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Harare, Zimbabwe, January 1997

CONTENT

PREFACE

This document reports on the activities carried out under the ALCOM pilot project “Development of Small Reservoir Fisheries in Eastern province of Zambia” between December 1989 and May 1992.

The pilot project aimed at demonstrating productive small reservoir fishery management strategies which are within the capacity of national and local Government entities to plan and promote, and which are acceptable to and benefit the local communities.

The experiences of the pilot project will be useful in the SADC (Southern Africa Development Community) region, and elsewhere, for planning and implementing activities to improve the management of reservoir fisheries.

ALCOM is a regional aquatic resource management programme executed by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). The main office of the programme is in Harare, Zimbabwe, and the programme implements pilot project in the SADC region.

ALCOM's aim is to assist member countries improve the living standards of rural populations though the practice of appropriate aquatic resource management techniques. Towards this end, pilot activities are conducted in selected countries to demonstrate new techniques, technologies and methodologies. Successes achieved, ideas derived, and lessons learned are disseminated for use in the region and elsewhere. ALCOM began its work in 1986 and is funded by Sweden and Belgium, with contributions from member countries.

ALCOM Address:

The presentation of material in this publication is that of the Programme and does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Hyperlinks to non-FAO Internet sites do not imply any official endorsement of or responsibility for the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at these locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. The sole purpose of links to non-FAO sites is to indicate further information available on related topics.

This electronic document has been scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) software. FAO declines all responsibility for any discrepancies that may exist between the present document and its original printed version.

Contents

1.   INTRODUCTION

2.   DATA COLLECTION

2.1.   Fish Stock Sampling

2.2.   Catch Monitoring Survey

2.3.   Socio-economic Study

3.   EASTERN PROVINCE OF ZAMBIA

3.1.   Reservoirs in Eastern Province

4.   CHARACTERISTICS OF RESERVOIR FISHERY

4.1.   Fish species

4.2.   Fishing gears

4.3.   Composition of Catches

4.3.1.   Species selectivity

4.3.2.   Size selectivity

4.4.   Fishing grounds and Seasonality of Fishing gears

4.4.1.   Fishing Grounds

4.4.2.   Seasonality of Gear

4.5.   Fishing Effort

4.5.1.   Choice of Gear

4.6.   The yield

4.7.   Summary of characteristics

5.   ACCESS TO RESOURCES

5.1.   Access to Fishing Grounds

5.2.   Access to Gear

5.3.   Access to Fishing Skills

6.   FINANCIAL EVALUATION OF FISHING METHODS

6.1.   Costs

6.1.1.   Fixed Costs

6.1.2.   Variable Costs

6.2.   Disposal of Catch

6.3.   Revenues

6.4.   Annual Incomes

6.5.   Sensitivity Analysis on Incomes

7.   STANDARD OF LIVING OF FISHERS COMPARED TO NON-FISHERS

8.   DISCUSSION

8.1.   Findings

8.2.   Development policy

8.3.   Management options

9.   CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

APPENDIX 1:   METHODOLOGY SOCIO-ECONOMIC STUDY

APPENDIX 2:   ANNUAL INCOME DIFFERENT TYPES OF GEAR

APPENDIX 3:   SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS ON INCOMES

APPENDIX 4:   CATCH MONITORING SURVEY

List of tables

Table 1:     Number of reservoirs by constructing agency

Table 2:     Number of reservoirs by period of construction

Table 3:     Size distribution of reservoirs

Table 4:     Characteristics of studied reservoirs

Table 5:     Presence of different fish species per dam as found by the drottningholm method

Table 6:     Breakdown of number of fishers using certain type of gear per reservoir

Table 7:     Characteristics different types of fishery

Table 8:     Reasons for using certain type of gear (% of respondents)

Table 9:     Reasons to fish (% of respondents)

Table 10:   Fishers aspiration to have more fish (% of respondents)

Table 11:   Features of different fishing units (as determined by the socio-economic study)

Table 12:   Annual incomes by type of gear (zk) for makungwa dam

Table 13:   Annual incomes by type of gear (zk) for kangombe dam

Table 14:   Annual incomes by type of gear (zk) for chadewa dam

Table 15:   Demographic characteristics of the different household categories (h.h .= Household)

Table 16:   Primary sources of income (% of respondents)

Table 17:   Percentage of households owning certain items

Table 18:   Average number of months per year households lack animal protein and nshima

Table 19:   Consumption of meat, fish and eggs for the different household categories (in number of times per month)

Table 20:   Annual income net fishery (zk)

Table 21:   Annual income trap fishery (zk)

Table 22:   Annual income hook and line fishery (zk)

Table 23:   Annual income fishery with other gear (zk)

Table 24:   Sensitivity analysis net fishery (zk)

Table 25:   Sensitivity analysis trap fishery (zk)

Table 26:   Sensitivity analysis hook and line fishery (zk)

Table 27:   Sensitivity analysis fishery with other gear (zk)

Table 28:   Number of records collected during creel survey per day, dam and gear

Table 29:   Fishing effort, catch per hour and estimated total catch per dam and gear

Table 30:   Species composition in percentage in number and weight per dam and per gear

List of figures

Figure 1:     Distribution of reservoirs in eastern province of zambia

Figure 2:     Average species composition of the sampled reservoirs (in percentage of total weight)

Figure 3:     Species composition of catches per gear, using different data collection methods (h & 1 = hook and line)

Figure 4:     Seasonality of fishing gear in different dams, as determined by two data collection methods

Figure 5:     Relative fishing effort for three reservoirs, during the rainy season and dry season, data from socio-economic study

Figure 6:     Relative fishing effort for two reservoirs, during the rainy season and dry season, data from catch monitoring survey

Figure 7:     Disposal of catch, percentage of the catch sold, bartered, distributed (or given away), and used for home consumption

Figure 8:     Sales point for fish

Figure 9:     Percentage of respondents reporting lack of nshima during certain months of the year, by gear.

Figure 10:   Percentage of respondents reporting lack of animal protein during certain months of the gear, by year