Panos Institute Southern Africa has encouraged governments in Southern Africa to increase the allocation of resources for fish farming and other aquaculture activities, and strengthen systems for supporting community participation in fish farming.
In her message to commemorate World Fisheries Day which falls on 21st November, Panos Executive Director Lilian Kiefer says fish is a key part of the diet for many Southern African communities.
Ms Kiefer says although Southern Africa has a number of lakes, rivers and dams which used to supply large volumes of fish, the fish stocks have greatly diminished.
She notes that high poverty levels coupled with the effects of climate change have resulted in the over-exploitation of fish resources in both the natural and artificial water bodies.
She further notes that in some cases this has resulted in fish depletion as the resource is too constrained and unable to adequately renew itself to ensure sustainability.
“This has disturbed livelihoods, especially for communities who rely on fishing as their primary source of livelihood in parts of Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. A baseline study conducted by Panos Institute Southern Africa in 2017 highlighted gaps and weaknesses in the mechanisms and institutions or structures as hindering effective community participation in fish farming. The Panos study also identified the absence or weak implementation of policies as a challenge slowing the adoption and practice of fish farming,” she said.
Ms Kiefer has since appealed to governments in Southern African countries to put in place measures to address challenges such as limited access to capital for fish farming, limited extension services on fisheries and lack of access to inputs such as fingerlings.