By TRACY MUTALE
RECENT statistics indicate that the Chibombo district in Central province during the 2022/2023 fish ban season has recorded a reduction in the number of traders flouting the fish ban regulations as compared to the previous seasons.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Chibombo District Fisheries Officer, Isaac Situmbeko disclosed that the district has recorded a drop in the fish traders flouting the fish ban regulation in that his office during the 2022/2023 fish ban season did not apprehend any trader as compared to the previous season where two traders were apprehended and nine prosecuted.
“We did not prosecute any offender but confiscated only 50kg of fresh fish during the 2022-2023 as opposed to the 2021-2022 fish ban period were nine were apprehended of which two were prosecuted with 180 kg of fresh fish,” Mr Situmbeko said.
Mr Situmbeko said the reduction could be attributed to the intense sensitisation that was undertaken by the district team as the office was on ground passing on a strong message to ensure that farmers and would be offenders desist from carrying out illegal fishing activities during the ban so as allow fish to replenish.
He said Zambia currently has a huge deficit of fish on the market and is recording a high depletion of fish stocks in natural water bodies hence the need to guard the kind of fishing methods being practiced especially during the ban because this is the spooning and breeding period for fish.
“The public should understand that the fish usually comes to the surface during the breeding period because the weather is favourable for spooning and brooding and not for fishing,” he said
Mr Situmbeko added that fishermen sometimes engage in hazardous fishing methods like using mosquito nets and traditional poison when fishing and this leads to the depletion of fish stocks, hence the need for a ban.
He therefore urged all the fishing folks in the district to obtain their fishing licences at only K133.50 now that the ban has been lifted as fishing without a licence is illegal and a chargeable offence.
The fishing ban emanates from the Fisheries Act No. 11 which carters for both small-scale and commercial fisheries and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock every year enforces the fish ban in selected fisheries catchment areas to give leverage for fish to breed and replenish and it usually run for a period of three months from December to February 28.-NAIS