1. The Sub-Committee for Lake Tanganyika of the Committee for Inland Fisheries of Africa (CIFA) held its third session on 3 and 4 October 1985 in Lusaka, Zambia. The session was attended by representatives from the four Member Nations; Burundi, Tanzania, Zaire and Zambia; an observer from a Member Nation of FAO, and a representative of the European Economic Community (EEC). The list of delegates and observers is given in Appendix C.
2. The session was opened by the Chairman, Mr. S. Kasereka, Chief, Fisheries Division, Zaire. He welcomed the participants and thanked the host country. He informed the meeting of the death of the former Chairman from Zaire, Mr. T.M. Salea, and a minute's silence was observed in his memory.
3. Mr. S.A.T. Wadda, FAO Representative in Zambia, addressed the participants on behalf of the Director-General of FAO, Mr. Edouard Saouma, and the Assistant Director-General (Fisheries), Mr. J.E. Carroz. He reviewed the deliberations of the second session and the progress made in implementing the resolutions. He stressed the importance of Lake Tanganyika to the four riparian States and emphasized the need for cooperation and coordination in development of the fisheries. Finally, he wished the participants a successful session.
4. Mr. B. Nyakageni, Director of the Department of Water and Forests, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Burundi, was elected Chairman, and Mr. T.W. Maembe, Chief Fisheries Officer, Division of Fisheries, Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania, was elected Vice-Chairman for the session. Zambia was elected rapporteur.
5. The agenda was adopted as given in Appendix A. The documents presented to the session are shown in Appendix B.
6. The Secretariat introduced document CIFA:DM/LT/85/3: Report on the status of of fisheries development of Lake Tanganyika, which was well received by the Sub-Committee.
The following recommendations of the above report were discussed:
7. The harmonization of fishing regulations and management policies was recognized as a priority by the Sub-Committee which suggested that FAO provide assistance in this field as soon as possible. The comparative study of artisanal fishing gear in use was recommended because recent innovations in some countries suggested that regional benefits could be derived from such comparisons. On fishing agreements - fishing vessels of one country seeking official permission to fish in the waters of another country, or use another country's landing facilities - the Sub-Committee agreed that such agreements were possible and that arrangements should be made through the appropriate ministries. The experience of FAO on this subject, which is considerable in the field of marine fisheries, should be called upon. If FAO funding permitted, or if other sources of funding could be found, the Secretariat should arrange a meeting of all donor countries and agencies involved with artisanal fishery development on Lake Tanganyika to exchange experiences and promote coordination and cooperation. The Secretariat also should arrange for the further analysis of historical, statistical and biological data. The first attempt to do so proved to be particularly useful in defining stock fluctuations.
8. The Sub-Committee expressed serious reservations about the possible introduction of an exotic predator into Lake Kivu. The delegate from Zaire informed the meeting that work on introductions in Lake Kivu should be preceded by studies on species biology and the limnology of Lake Tanganyika.
9. In addition to the discussions on the above recommendations, three other topics were brought to the attention of the Sub-Committee:
the need for cooperation among countries to facilitate the return of stolen gear and vessels transported across international borders;
the need to avoid duplication in the production of fishing gears and boats among the riparian countries, possibly by inventory of facilities available in each country, such as for boat-building and net-making, etc.; and
the problem of pollution in Lake Tanganyika.
10. This latter topic received many comments from delegates and observers, the essence of which was that Lake Tanganyika, with its very long retention time of hypolimnion waters - 2 000 years, or more - because of lack of outlets, and the rapid horizontal long-distance movements of its surface waters, is highly susceptible to pollution. Although a general threat of pollution is perceived, as for example, from pesticides used in agriculture, the serious danger at present is from the exploration for, and possible eventual exploitation of, the under-lake petroleum resources. However, petroleum refining in at least the initial stage, would be outside the lake basin area. The Sub-Committee requested FAO to engage the services of a consultant who would provide guidelines on the environmental impact studies which would be appropriate for gauging the effects of petroleum exploration and exploitation on the lake's aquatic environment and fishery resources. The consultant would also make a general survey of other sources of pollution in the lake and lake basin and assess the need for a pollution monitoring programme.
11. The Secretariat presented document CIFA:DM/LT/85/2 which highlighted the main achievements of the Workshop held in Bujumbura, Burundi, from 29 May to 4 June 1984, and areas requiring further action by Governments and FAO. The Workshop discussed the organizational and technical aspects of survey systems for inland waters, the practical problems involved in the planning and implementation of statistical surveys, the various methods used in data collection, as well as the methods employed in estimating survey magnitudes, including possible sources of errors and the problem of raising factors.
12. The Sub-Committee expressed its satisfaction with the speed with which FAO and its Regional Office for Africa responded to the request made by the Sub-Committee at its second session for assistance in this field, but regretted that the four countries concerned had not taken full advantage of the training acquired at the Workshop/Training Course organized by FAO, due to the lack of human, financial and natural resources.
13. The discussion that followed emphasized that quality statistical data were essential for fisheries planning, development and management. Consequently, the need for the countries to accord higher priority to matters pertaining to fisheries statistics was stressed.
14. The Sub-Committee further stressed the importance of regional cooperation and collaboration so as to ensure that a standardized fisheries statistical data collection system could be established and utilized on the lake.
15. The Sub-Committee called for further assistance from FAO in ensuring that the knowledge gained in the Workshop/Training Course was properly utilized. In this regard, it was recommended that FAO should undertake an evaluation of the effectiveness of the 1984 Workshop/Training Course and, if found necessary, to organize a follow-up training programme.
16. This item of the agenda was introduced by the Secretariat on the basis of documents CIFA:DM/LT/85/4, 85/4 Add.1 and 85/5.
17. The second session of the CIFA Sub-Committee for Lake Tanganyika, held in Rome in October 1983, had identified the key elements to be included in a long-term programme for the development and management of the fisheries of Lake Tanganyika. The CIFA Workshop on Fishery Statistics for Inland Waters which was held at the recommendation of the second session of the Sub-Committee in May–June 1984 further defined important key elements with respect to fishery statistics (see paragraphs 11–15 above).
18. These were taken into consideration in the formulation of the Regional Project for the Management of the Fisheries of Lake Tanganyika which was presented for approval to the Sub-Committee under document CIFA:DM/LT/85/4 Add.1. The overall purpose of the regional project was given as the coordination of fisheries research and the promotion of international collaboration in the management of the shared resources of Lake Tanganyika as a means to stimulate fishery development.
19. The long-term and short-term objectives were given as follows:
Long-term objectives
20. To provide for maximum exploitation of the fishery resources of the Lake by the bordering countries in order to increase the supply of high protein food to these countries in line with their development goals by:
Short-term objectives
21. The Sub-Committee approved the project proposal as given in document CIFA:DM/LT/85/4 Add.1 and expressed its gratitude to the FAO Secretariat for having followed up the recommendations of the second session of the Sub-Committee in that respect.
22. However, some delegations referred to the proposal, made at the second session of the Sub-Committee, that a request be made to the European Economic Community (EEC) concerning the financing of a regional project. The meeting was informed that three riparian countries had made such a request to EEC during the inter-sessional period but that the EEC response to their request had not yet been received. The representative of EEC at the third session of the Sub-Committee was asked to clarify the position of EEC in this matter and inform the countries concerned accordingly.
23. The FAO Secretariat informed the Sub-Committee that the proposal for the regional project mentioned in paragraph 18 above had also been submitted to bilateral donors and that one donor country (Finland) had expressed a keen interest in financing it. Although the project document had not yet been signed by the interested donor at the time of the Sub-Committee meeting, chances appeared to be very favourable that it would be signed in the very near future.
24. The Sub-Committee welcomed this information and asked to be informed officially as soon as the project document was signed. The Sub-Committee further agreed that existing research vessels in the region should be put at the disposal of the regional project. In this context, the delegation from Tanzania offered the use of the R.V. ECHO (formerly named FAO 81), and Zambia the R.V. KAPATA which needed refitting.
25. Some countries expressed concern, however, that the project document being considered by Finland did not include some development aspects which had originally been incorporated in an earlier version of a similar project proposal prepared in 1980 by FAO/UNDP project RAF/78/013. Consequently, it was proposed, in order to avoid overlapping between the project being considered favourably by Finland and the general request for assistance made to EEC (see paragraph 22 above) that the development elements not included in the project proposed to Finland be included in a separate proposal for EEC consideration.
26. The Sub-Committee therefore appointed an ad hoc working group made up of a representative of each riparian State to prepare the outline of this proposal. The group met under the Chairmanship of Zambia and prepared the project ideas which are given in Appendix D to this report.
27. The Sub-Committee then turned its attention to the implications arising out of the four papers concerning Lake Tanganyika of the Workshop on predator-prey relationships, population dynamics and fisheries productivity of large African lakes which was held prior to the third session of the Sub-Committee, from 30 September to 2 October 1985.
28. Recent analysis of fishery and biological data from both the north and south portions of Lake Tanganyika, as well as syntheses of existing information have increased our understanding of the Lake's dynamics and fishery productivity.
29. The six pelagic species of Lake Tanganyika are exploited by the artisanal and industrial fisheries at different stages in their life history. Industrial catch rates of the clupeids and their main predator L. Stappersii show large alternating fluctuations with a period of 6–8 years between two successive peaks of a same species. In the southern part of the Lake periodicity is of the order of 3–4 years. These cyclical fluctuations are thought to result from the complex predator-prey relationship which plays a role at all phases of the life history of the two species. Spawning of predator and prey species occurs simultaneously and both juvenile predators and clupeids, being plankton feeders, grow up under very similar circumstances, recruitment success being dependent on wind-induced plankton abundance. At the age of four months, Stolothrissa recruits to the offshore industrial fishing area and L. Stappersii, becoming piscivorous at about 110 mm fork length, disappear from this area as they feed on juvenile inshore Stolothrissa.
30. A multiple regression model has been successfully applied linking prey recruitment with the biomass of their parents at the time of their birth and the biomass of the predators. Quantitative parent recruitment relationships are, however, not straight forward in pelagic stocks and it is thought that such a model could be considerably improved by taking into account wind strength as a measure of annual plankton abundance which is an important factor in determining the juvenile survival rate or recruitment success. The very limited areas of occurrence of juvenile L. Stappersii in the Lake probably indicate that spawning areas are very localized. Such areas would require special management measures.
31. The general picture is one of differing seasonal and longer-term timing in the life history events of the main exploited species in the various parts of the Lake. Lake-wide, long-term research activities are therefore essential, the implications of which are:
32. The Sub-Committee endorsed these views.
33. The Sub-Committee reiterated the wish it had expressed at its second session that meetings be held between the riparian States during the inter-sessional period. Lack of funds and coordination made this impossible during the period 1983–85. FAO, under the auspices of CIFA, was asked to use its good offices in order that an inter-sessional meeting take place in Kigoma around September 1986.
34. The exact date and place of the fourth session are to be determined by the Director-General of FAO in consultation with the Chairman and the authorities of the host country.
35. Tanzania and Zaire offered to host the next session, subject to the approval of their respective Governments.
36. This report was adopted on 4 October 1984.
