Chronicle Editor
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) has recommended the use of cotton nets by fishermen in the country which are environmentally friendly, saying those found using any other nets will be liable for prosecution.
The clarion call comes amid concerns from fishermen particularly in the Zambezi River that the required cotton nets were not available locally and in neighbouring countries. Zimparks head of corporate communications Mr Tinashe Farawo told Sunday News in an interview that fishing communities in the country were aware that the recommended fishing nets were the ones made of cotton. He said the reason why his organisation was insisting on the use of cotton nets was not to make life difficult for fishermen but that they were environmentally friendly and do not harm other unintended water species. He added that the growth of the fishing industry rests on the need for proper fishing methods.
“We have always encouraged our fishing communities to use cotton fishing nets because they are environmentally friendly and do not harm other unintended species in the water. They easily decompose when left in the water unlike the twine nets that do not decompose. Hippos, crocodiles and other species in the water can be caught in the twine nets if they are left in the water thereby endangering them,” he said.
Fishermen along the Zambezi River had expressed how the unavailability of the recommended cotton nets was slowing down their work. They asked for Zimparks to help them make the requisite nets available to them.
Chairman of the fishermen along the Zambezi River in Binga Mr Cedius Munkuli said they were being affected by the restrictions on the fishing nets and there was no solution to it because the legalised nets were not available locally and in neighbouring countries.
As a result, he said, most of the fishermen were forced to use what was at their disposal, resulting in a cat and mouse game with the Zimparks authorities.
“We have serious challenges, we have no boats at the moment and fishing nets are a problem. Here in Zimbabwe we do not have shops that sell cotton nets that we are supposed to use.These cotton nets are also not available in neighbouring countries so we do not know where to get them. Only twine ones are used in the countries around us and these are easy to secure.”
He said cotton and other types of nets that were not the twine ones were not strong either.
“They last one day because of crocodiles that are a menace, they tear our nets. Under water there are dead trees that also tear into the nets. This is a problem for us to always want to repair our nets,” said Mr Munkuli.
Those that are in the kapenta fishing business also lamented the unavailability of the required fishing nets.
“There are sizes of nets that we use to catch kapenta, these are regulated because we are not supposed to catch everything that the nets can capture. Some nets even collect eggs and this is not good, so we have sizes and types of nets that we need to use that are however, not available in Zimbabwe so we are in a quandary pertaining to the nets. We used to find the cotton nets at some hop in Bulawayo but now there is nothing,” added another fisherman.
The fishermen also said they have been facing boat challenges to enable them to do their fishing business without hiccups.
Online Reporter