WCS Helps Farmers To Construct Fishponds

Over fishing has been one of Zambia’s major concerns. It has been very difficult to put a halt to over fishing in Zambia’s lakes and rivers, because fishing is a source of income for many households, especially those living near and around rivers and lakes. Fish is also a major source of protein in the diet of Zambians. The use of unauthorised fishing methods such as fish poisoning, destructive fishing gear and dynamite have also contributed to the depletion of fish species in rivers and lakes.

To address this degradation of fisheries resources, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) through its Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) program has initiated an ambitious program of replacing the need to harvest wild fisheries with the alternative harvest of fish from fishponds. So far a total of 112 fishponds have been contracted in Chongwe and Luangwa districts to relieve fishing pressure along the Luangwa and Zambezi rivers. Out of the 112 ponds, 63 have already been stocked with fingerlings, while the remaining 49 ponds are in the process of being stocked. Moreover, the project has also established its own fisheries capacity to maintain fingerlings for a growing number of fishponds, expected to reach over 200 by the end of this year.

COMACO staff has identified known fishermen and people from areas where poaching is a problem and has grouped them into small producer groups, composed of 15 to 20 members. COMACO forms these groups as a basis for developing alternative livelihoods to livelihoods that are destructive to natural resources. Together, group members form by-laws in relation to conservation strategies that help regulate and govern themselves under the motivation of high-paying  markets COMACO helps to develop.

Handsen Mseteka, Regional Coordinator for COMACO, reveals that Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives through the department of fisheries has been supplementing WCS’s efforts by training fishermen in fish pond management and other technical aspects of fish farming. He discloses that a good number of farmers in Chongwe and Luangwa have been trained in fish farming skills.

Apart from training farmers and fishermen in fish farming skills, Mseteka adds that the fisheries department has been generous enough to supply the farmers with fingerlings. The Carp and Oreocromis andersonii (the three sported bream fingerlings) have the farmers to start their own fisheries. In addition the Livestock Development Trust (LDT) through the department of fisheries has also supplied Tilapia nilotcus fingerlings.

The 20m by 25m fishponds in the two areas were stocked with 1000 fingerlings last year and farmers owning these ponds are expected to harvest over 120 – 150 kilograms or over 2,500 fish per pond. Mseteka says it takes 6 months for fish to grow and currently WCS is conducting fish growth assessment as the fish are now ready for sale.

WCS has for the last two years been implementing fish farming projects in Mpanshya and Shikabeta Chiefdoms of Chongwe district and Mburuma in Luangwa district. The project has mostly been targeting food insecure households that have been involved in improper farming practices that cause natural resource degradation.

In Chongwe district, WCS targeted illegal charcoal burners situated along the Great East Road and transformed poachers who were once noted for notorious poaching in the area. The targeted households receive technical support through capacity building and inputs in conjunction with Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) and its Fisheries Department.

WCS is also collaborating with the World Food Programme (WFP) in a Food-for Assets Programme that intends to encourage community and household participation in asset creation and projects that benefit them, such as fish ponds and bee-keeping apiaries of as many as 100 hives per producer group. WFP has provided the initial food supplement to these identified charcoal burners and poachers, who have in turn shown commitment towards the construction of these fishponds, bee-hive apiaries and new crop alternatives. These efforts are improving both food and income security.

This kind of support coupled with intensive monitoring from WCS field staff has really proved to be successful as the fish in the two areas are now ready for sale. WCS has further gone an extra mile by finding local markets for the fish in the two districts. In addition Capital fisheries, a Lusaka based organisation dealing in fish has agreed to buy fish from the farmers.

Fish farmers are very excited with WCS’s efforts of empowering the community with fish ponds. Idan Lungu a former charcoal burners says the project has transformed his life as he no longer cuts down trees for charcoal. He says fish farming is worth while as it will enable him realise more money compared to charcoal burning. “During this period, (of making charcoal) I used to wake up as early as 04:00hours in the morning and I would only knock off at 17:00 hours after cutting down about ten trees and chopping them into small pieces,” recalls Lungu. “I used to make 10 x 50 bags of charcoal in one month and I only realised K70, 000.00 after selling these bags of charcoal.” Lungu commends WCS for introducing the fish farming project in Chongwe which will help to eradicate poverty in the area.

“I really thank God for bringing WCS into my area and rescuing us from this captivity I would call it,” says Lungu. He observes that charcoal burning is not only a difficult job but also hazardous. He reveals that many charcoal burners have ended up with Tuberculosis (TB) adding that he is lucky to have been rescued before he could have contracted TB.

Many households in the two districts have shown interest in joining the COMACO initiative in the last two years. This clearly indicates that WCS has a huge challenge of embracing a growing number of individuals. It is hoped that as these fish ponds grow and as more families see the commercial benefits of fishponds, pressure on wild fish in the Luangwa River as well as pressure on wildlife from poaching will diminish.