SAVE THE CHAMBO
Campaign drive to protect Chambo, Malawi's cherished freshwater Tilapia fish species and other fisheries resources by promoting sustainable utilization and enforcement best practices.
Chambo - Malawi’s most popular fish
SALIMA, (Malawi): Malawi is on a campaign drive to protect and conserve Chambo, the country’s most cherished freshwater Tilapia fish species endemic to Lake Malawi and a well-known food delicacy.
Chambo is Malawi’s prized freshwater fish species in the Cichlidae family but statistics show that over the years, Chambo fishery has faced a decline from about 9000 metric tons per year in the mid-eighties to current low levels of less than 1000 metric tons. This decline is due to challenges such as overfishing, environmental degradation, and the use of illegal fishing methods to an extent that Chambo is now listed as critically endangered species on the IUCN red listing.
It is against this background that the Department of Fisheries in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change in parternership the FAO through the Fisheries Resilience for Malawi (FiRM) Project, RIPPLE Africa through the Fish Conservation Project in Lake Malawi and USAID through Restoring Fisheries for Sustainable Livelihoods in Lake Malawi (REFRESH) Project with the support from shoreline community leaders has intensified efforts to conserve the Chambo fishery in order to maintain the livelihoods of the people who depend on it as well as the biodiversity of Lake Malawi.
Efforts to conserve the Chambo fishery include enforcing the use of legal fishing gears, observance of closed seasons when for a period of three months (November 1 to January 31) the lake is closed to fishing activities to enable fish to spawn and breed, having closed areas which serve as protected breeding ground where fish can thrive, breed, and contribute to the replenishment of the country’s precious fisheries and also halting environmental degradation.
During the official of the Save the Chambo Campaign which took place in Salima lakeshore district, Natural Resources Minister, Dr. Michael Usi stressed the importance of preserving and safeguarding Chambo and other fisheries resources by promoting sustainable utilization and enforcement of best practices.
“Let me call upon traditional leaders to champion this cause and work hand in hand with the Department of Fisheries and the local stakeholders in ensuring the sustainability of our fisheries,” he stressed.
He cautioned them against any form of collusion or allowance of illegal fishing within their jurisdictions for their collective support for enforcement against illegal fishing activities is crucial to the success of such efforts.
The Minister has commended the Department of Fisheries and stakeholders for working together towards sustainable fisheries management and development of the capture fisheries sector.
The capture fisheries sub-sector provides direct employment opportunities to over 65,000 people involved in fishing mainly for commercial purposes. Along the value chain, over half a million people derive their livelihoods from fish processing, fish marketing, boat building, engine repair and fishing input supplies.
Lake Malawi is home to over 800 fish species but Chambo is the most popular. Other fish species that holds cultural and economic significance are the Lake Salmon, locally known as Mpasa, Mcheni, Kampango (Bagrus meridionalis)
Mpasa is an African species of freshwater fish, endemic to Lake Malawi.
Mcheni fish species
Kampango (Bagrus meridionalis)