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Participatory fisheries management

Project description

Title: Participatory fisheries management
Commissioned by: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Country: Malawi
Partner: Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Natural Resources
Overall term: Juli 1998 to Dezember 2002

Context

The Chambo is the most important fish eaten in Malawi. A high population growth rate and the lack of alternative sources of income have put mounting pressure on all fish resources. In the 1990s the Chambo was so intensively fished in Lake Malombe, that it no longer appears in the catch. In 2001, the United Nations estimated the costs of over-fishing at about US$ 4 million. The failure of conventional management systems where regulation and control are in the hands of the state alone, are also responsible for this situation, which could repeat itself in the much larger Lake Malawi, if corrective measures are not taken.

Objective

Participatory management in selected zones of Lakes Malawi and Malombe should help regulate access and ensure that fish stocks are used sustainably.

Approach

To ensure the participation of target groups, the project supported the Department in setting up and training what are known as beach village committees, comprising fishers, fish traders, and influential villagers. To develop management plans with the target groups and conclude agreements on fisheries management, it was necessary to

divide the lake areas into Fisheries Management Units
set up beach village committees (BVCs) with members elected in each village and
elect Fisheries Management Authorities (FMAs) comprising BVC representatives for each Unit.

The measures are based on scientific recommendations put forward by the Department and on socio-economic requirements. Once the agreement is concluded, in which, among other things, the number and costs of the licences are determined, a work plan and budget is drawn up for each FMA. The implementation of the work plan is subject to participatory impact monitoring. In the long term, the management costs for administration and any potential excess expenditure are to be recovered from the catch revenue and licence fees.

Results achieved so far

The Department’s fisheries research and data programmes have been modified to identify trends in different fisheries as soon as possible. Advisory service personnel have been trained in the use of methods that facilitate the involvement of the people concerned. With the proportion of women touching 29% in the committees, the interests of the female fish traders are also represented. A concept for participatory fisheries management was tested at Lake Malombe and in the southern part of Lake Malawi. The lessons learned are the basis for the management plans to be drawn up for the small-scale fisheries sector throughout the country. The legislation concerning fisheries and the fisheries policy has been changed accordingly.