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Responding to civil war: fisheries as a safety net and lootable resource on Lake Tanganyika, the Democratic Republic of Congo

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Abstract

Research on conflict and fisheries has largely focused on conflict between resource users, rather than on how fisheries are affected by external conflict, including civil war. Knowledge that does exist does not fully engage with the specific characteristics of conflicts, how those characteristics affect fisheries, and how fishers respond. This article identifies how the characteristics of conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) affect the fisheries of the transboundary Lake Tanganyika and how those dependent on small-scale fisheries have responded to those characteristics. Data was collected at three fish landing sites through remote interviews in 2017 and 2018. The results show that the primary characteristic of the DRC conflict is the sporadic and unpredictable nature of the violence generating insecurity, loss of equipment and increase in fishing pressure. Increasing fishing pressure is associated with newcomers, who turn to fishing as a safety net, yet do not abide by local norms and beliefs. A reported increase in illegal fishing and corruption further present challenges to the weakly managed fisheries. The research concludes that the experience of civil war brings multiple and contrasting sources and experiences of vulnerability for fishers. The significant influence that conflict has on fisherfolk and fisheries supports calls for greater recognition of how the wider political and economic environment of natural resources affects how they are used and governed.

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Data availability

Data, which include audio recordings, transcribed and compilated text files, and coded information, are saved electronically and securely in organized files at the University of Birmingham’s service location named Datashare system. Audio recordings of the interviews are not available for accessing as permission was not obtained for this from the respondents.

Notes

  1. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

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Acknowledgements

The article is based upon work supported by the National Geographic Society US and the University of Birmingham UK. We thank the local institutions, including the Centre for Hydrobiological Research/Uvira (CHR) and the Evangelical University of Africa (UEA-Panzi), for help with the required formalities for conducting research in the DRC and also for recruiting qualified local collaborators and Research Assistants (RAs). The Local Collaborator, Dr Nshombo Muderhwa, offered insights and orientation to carry out the fieldwork. Our appreciation also goes to the two Research Assistants, Mr Valence Mutwedu, Ms Noella Nabintu and Mr Ruphin Rukahusa, who enabled a conducive teamwork environment that benefited our data collection activities. We appreciate all the key informants, officials and individuals who shared their experiences by responding to our interview questions in their respective working locations, including landing sites, government offices, universities, and homes. We are grateful to the four anonymous reviewers for their detailed and helpful comments on the original submission, which helped strengthen and clarify the paper.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    Deo Namwira

  2. International Development Department, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Fiona Nunan & Danielle Beswick

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Contributions

All authors contributed to the Conceptualization and Methodology of this study. They all contributed to writing the manuscript. DN conducted the fieldwork, carried out the interviews, processed and analysed data, and prepared the original draft of this paper. FN Reviewed the original draft and reframed the paper in addition to her supervisory role in all the stages of the research and facilitated funding acquisition. DB reviewed the original draft and refined the texts in addition to the supervising role in all the stages of the research. Both FN and DB advised on content and editing. DN & FN coordinated and finalised the writing of the manuscript revisions.

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Correspondence to Deo Namwira.

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This study meets the ethical standards of the University of Birmingham, the Centre for Hydrobiological Research/Uvira (CHR) and the Evangelical University of Africa (UEA-Panzi). Required ethical clearance for the research was obtained by the University of Birmingham.

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Namwira, D., Nunan, F. & Beswick, D. Responding to civil war: fisheries as a safety net and lootable resource on Lake Tanganyika, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Maritime Studies 23, 18 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-024-00359-z

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