Malawi loses 93% of fish stock in 20 yrs

Malawi has over the past two decades lost 93 percent of its fish production, according to an expert.

“Between 1990 and 2010,Malawi had over 30 tons of fish and now the country has less than two tonnes. A million and a half people are operating on less than two percent of what they used to have. It is possible to catch all the fish as the situation is now,” said Marcel Kroese, from the European Union Smartfish Programme

He was speaking in Kisumu, Kenya, during a week-long regional media training on fisheries which has drawn journalists from Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Zambia.

Statistics indicate that about 1.6 million Malawians from lakeshore communities directly depend on the fisheries sector.

Kroese told journalists that it was clear that Malawi’s fish production is still declining while at the same time the value of fish has also declined during the past years.

He said it was also worrying that enforcement mechanisms in the fishing industry is weak compared to other African countries.

“What is happening [in Malawi] is that more fishermen are catching more fish and this means less fish available in the lake and this means food insecurity,” he said.

He also stated that the welfare of fishers in Malawi is worse-off than they were 20 years ago due to rising inflation rate.

Kroese, however, suggested that one possible intervention in Malawi is to lift more fishers out of poverty.

It was revealed on Wednesday that global fish stock as of 2010 stood at 158 metric tonnes out of which Africa only contributed 8.9 metric tonnes.

It also transpired that Africa is only contributing 11 percent of fish exports value to the global fish exports as of 2010.

About 600 million people are indirectly employed in the global fisheries sector , according to Davide Signa, who is a fisheries expert for Food and Agriculture Organisation (Fao).

According to a 2013 Malawi government annual economic report, last year over 500 000 people were indirectly involved in fish processing, fish marketing, boat building and engine repair.