Abstract
In Malawi, the multi-gear, multi-species small-scale fishing sector lands more than 95% of the catch and employs over 95% of those participating in fishing, greatly contributing towards poverty alleviation and protein food security for the lakeshore communities and Malawians at large. Over the last two decades, catches of the chambo (Oreochromis spp.), the most valuable species in the Southeast Arm of Lake Malawi, have declined. This is a source of concern for the sustainability of the fishery as a whole, and the impact this could have on the dependent fishing communities, given that the devastated Lake Malombe fishery followed a similar trajectory. Fishers are ambivalent as to whether decline of the chambo should be a source of concern, especially if accepting this view would mean agreeing to new regulations aimed at reducing fishing effort. This study analyzes the strategies being used by fishers in response to the changing fishery dynamics as a result of the decline of the chambo. The responses include: investment in cheaper fishing gears; invention of new fishing techniques; introduction of new gear types; geographic and occupational mobility; business and livelihoods diversification; changes in relation to production within fishing units; and introduction of cage culture. Managers and development practitioners need to understand the changes taking place in the fishery in order to formulate appropriate and acceptable solutions, if the fishery is to continue to provide social-economic benefits for the fishing communities and Malawi.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Chambo is a general term for three (lidole, squamipinnis, and karongae) closely related species of tilapine cichlids of the genus Orechromis (FAO 1993).
- 2.
Utaka and kambuzi are haplochromine cichlids (FAO 1993).
- 3.
It is recognized though that the use of just these three dimensions is not comprehensive enough, since this excludes other important indicators such as gender, income inequality, human rights, political freedom, etc.
- 4.
The majority of African countries gained independence in the 1950s and 1960s.
- 5.
The two authors used the Asian small-scale fisheries for their analysis.
- 6.
- 7.
Customary land is owned by the state, but is left under the supervision of traditional leaders.
- 8.
Lease held land is under supervision of the government, but is leased out for a period of 99 years.
- 9.
A frame survey is a count of all gear owners, crew members, fishing gears, vessels, and engines deployed in the fishery. This is supposed to be done once annually.
- 10.
A fishing unit refers to a complete array of the equipment and persons with the skills necessary to undertake a fishing enterprise. Usually, a unit comprises of the gear owner (who owns the capital equipment – the vessel, net, and engine) and the crew members.
- 11.
- 12.
In local (Chichewa) language, Kuwunika means lighting. The fishers on the Southeast Arm have termed the method of catching the chambo at night using the chilimira by attracting it to light as kauni.
- 13.
- 14.
The minimum legal mesh size for gillnets and beach seines, the two gears meant to target the chambo, are 95 and 90 mm, respectively; while minimum mesh size of the chilimira is 25 mm (FAO 1993).
- 15.
The nkacha net is a rectangular net first invented in Lake Malombe to target the kambuzi in reaction to decline of the chambo in that lake. Its design is based on the kambuzi seine net. The special aspect of its operation is that one of the crew members has to dive to tie the two sides of the net together so that it forms a bag like a purse seine net before the net is pulled to the surface from two boats.
- 16.
Ndege means airplane. The context is that they need to eat before they can fly (go out fishing).
- 17.
Dimbas are small-scale cultivations for vegetables, bananas, sugar canes, maize, and other agricultural crops along the lake or rivers using water from the lake, rivers, or wells dug for irrigation.
- 18.
This is a form of aquaculture practiced in the Lake. A cage is suspended in water, fingerings are introduced in the cage, fed artificially, and then harvested for sale when they reach the required size.
- 19.
In addition to artisanal fishers, the semi-commercial and commercial trawlers also operate in the offshore areas of the lake.
- 20.
Although farmers’ clubs (for provision of farming inputs and extension services by government and NGOs) are used in the agricultural sector, fishermen’s cooperatives have never been popular. Fishers are very individualistic in terms of sourcing capital for investment into fishing and sharing formulas for benefits within fishing units. Besides, fishers launch from and land anywhere they want. They also need to follow good catches, and therefore migrate whenever there is need to. Thus, they do not limit themselves to specific areas or landing sites. This system of operation makes cooperatives unworkable in the fishing sector in Malawi.
- 21.
Because most of the time the increase in effort is horizontal rather than vertical (Brox 1990).
- 22.
All the four species (chambo, kambuzi, usipa, and utaka) are planktivorous. While both the chambo and kambuzi are bottom feeders, the chambo mainly feeds on bigger particulates (compared to the kambuzi). The usipa and utaka are pelagics. The usipa is more off shore in open waters, while the utaka live more near shore. Although there are likely to be interactions among the various species, their feeding habits differentiate them into separate niches, thereby lessening competition (M. Banda, personal communication, 10 January 2010).
- 23.
Although local level controls exits, in principle anyone can buy a net and start fishing. The annual license fees are part of revenue collection, rather than as a management tool.
References
Banda M, Jamu D, Njaya F, Makuwila M, Maluwa A (eds) (2005) The chambo restoration strategic plan. In: World fish center conference proceedings 71, Mangochi, 13–16 May 2003. World Fish Center, Penang
Béné C (2003) When fishery rhymes with poverty: a first step beyond the old paradigm on poverty in small-scale fisheries. World Dev 31:949–975
Béné C (2009) Are fishers poor or vulnerable? Assessing economic vulnerability in small-scale fishing communities. J Dev Stud 45(6):911–933
Brox O (1990) The common property theory: epistemological status and analytical utility. Hum Organisation 49(3):227–235
Chirwa WC (1995) Fishing rights, ecology and conservation along Southern Lake Malawi; 1920–1964. Afr Aff 95:351–377
Department of Fisheries (2009) Census of fisheries, fishing gears and fishing crafts in lakes and rivers of Malawi, 2008, unpublished report. Department of fisheries, Lilongwe
FAO (1984) Expert consultation on the regulation of fishing effort (fishing mortality). Rome, 17–26 Jan 1983. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Fish Report No. 289, FAO, Rome
FAO (1993) Fisheries management South-East Arm of Lake Malawi, Upper Shire River and Lake Malombe. Prepared by GOM/FAO/UNDP Chambo Fisheries Research Project. CIFA technical paper 21. FAO, Rome
FAO (1996) Precautionary approach to fisheries. FAO fisheries technical paper 350. FAO, Rome
FAO (2000) Poverty in coastal fishing communities. In: Advisory committee on fishery research 3rd session, 5–8 Dec 2000. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Rome
Ferguson AE, Derman B, Mkandawire RM (1993) The new development rhetoric and lake Malawi. J Int Afr Inst 3:1–18
GoM (2006) Malawi growth and development strategy: from poverty to prosperity 2006–2911. Government of Malawi, Lilongwe
GoM/UNDP (1998) Management for development programme: revised Mangochi socio-economic profile. Mangochi. United Nations Development Programme, Lilongwe
Gordon HS (1954) The economic theory of common property resource. The fishery. J Polit Econ 62:124–142
Government of Malawi (GoM) (2008) Malawi millenium development goals report. Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, GoM, Lilongwe
Hara MM (2001) Could co-management provide a solution to the problems of artisanal fisheries management on the Southeast Arm of Lake Malawi?’ PhD dissertation, University of the Western Cape
Hara MM (2006a) Restoring the chambo in Southern Malawi: learning from the past or re-inventing the wheel? Aquat Ecosyst Health Manage 9(4):419–432
Hara MM (2006b) Production relations and dynamics among user-groups in the artisanal fisheries of Malawi: implications for representation in co-management arrangements. MAST 2006 4(2):53–71
Hara MM, Banda M (1997) Habitat degradation caused by seines on the fishery of Lake Malombe and Upper Shire River and its effects. In: Remane K (ed) African inland fisheries aquaculture and the environment. Fishing News Books (for FAO), London, pp 305–310
Hara M, Jul-Larsen E (2003) The “Lords” of Malombe; an analysis of fishery development and changes in fishing effort on Lake Malombe, Malawi. In: Jul-Larsen E, Kolding J, Overa R, Raakjaer Nielsen J, van Zwieten PAM (eds) Management, co-management or no management? Major dilemmas in Southern African freshwater fisheries. FAO fisheries technical paper 462/2, FAO, Rome, pp 179–200
Hara M, Turner S, Haller T, Matose F (2009) Governance of the commons in southern Africa: knowledge, political economy and power. Dev South Afr 26(4):521–537
Hardin G (1968) The tragedy of the commons. Science 162:1243–1248
Hersoug B, Jentoft S, Degbol P (2004) Introduction: the fisheries development challenge. In: Hersoug B, Jentoft S, Degbol P (eds) Fisheries development: the institutional challenge. Eburon, Delft, pp 11–17
Jentoft S, Onyango P, Islam MM (2010) Freedom and poverty in the fishery commons. Int J Commons 4(1):345–366
Jul-Larsen E, Kolding J, Overa R, Raakjaer Nielsen J, van Zwieten PAM (2003) Management, co-management or no management? Major dilemmas in Southern African freshwater fisheries. FAO fisheries technical paper 462/1, FAO, Rome
National Statistical Office (2008) Malawi population and housing census. National Statistical Office, Zomba
Njaya FJ (2009) The lake Chilwa fishing household strategies in response to water level changes: migration, conflicts and co-management. PhD dissertation, University of the Western Cape
Panatoyou T (1982) Management concepts for small-scale fisheries: economic and social aspects. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 228, FAO, Rome
Pauly D (1994) On malthusian overfishing. In: Pauly D (ed) On the sex of fish and the gender of scientists: essays in fisheries in science. Chapmann in Hall, London
Rahnema M (2007) Poverty. In: Sach W (ed) The development dictionary. Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg, pp 158–176
Sen A (1981) Poverty and famines. An essay on entitlements and deprivation. Claredon Press, Oxford
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2009) Human Development Index Report 2008. UNDP, New York
Acknowledgments
Research for this chapter was made possible through a research grant from the Norwegian Research Council for the PovFish project under the coordination, leadership, and partnership of Professors Svein Jentoft and Arne Eide at MaReMa, Norwegian College of Fishery Science, University of Tromsø. I am also greatly indebted to all the fisher folk, Malawi Department of Fisheries staff, and many others for granting me interviews and use of secondary data and information. Without the generosity of these people and organizations, this chapter would not have come to fruition.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hara, M. (2011). Community Response: Decline of the Chambo in Lake Malawi’s Southeast Arm. In: Jentoft, S., Eide, A. (eds) Poverty Mosaics: Realities and Prospects in Small-Scale Fisheries. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1582-0_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1582-0_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-1581-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-1582-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)