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—-The Department of Fisheries in Mongu district of Western Province has confiscated and destroyed 300 metres of illegal fishing gears popularly known as Sefa Sefa in Nanikelako area in the Zambezi Flood Plains.
Acting Principal Fisheries Officer, Gething Chisulo, told ZANIS in an interview that the fish mesh called monofilament is too destructive to be used for catching fish as it traps any water creeper thereby disturbing the whole ecological system in the river.
Mr Chisulo has maintained that fishers have continued using illegal fishing nets despite being sensitized by the department.
He said the nets that weighed 60kg comprised of both mosquito nets and other materials which catches even the smallest fish and disturbs the breeding of fish in the river.
He has since appealed to the community to continue working in collaboration with the department in curbing illegal fishing even during the fish ban, adding that the community had direct ownerships of the resources.
And Community fishing facilitator, Imanga Nyambe of Nangoma village, disclosed that illegal fishing methods have reduced the fish population in the recent years.
Mr Nyambe further noted that the monofilament net has been on the increase since 1996 and has greatly affected the fish species in the river.
The Fisheries Departments and the Zambia Wild Life Authority (ZAWA) today were in the Zambezi Flood Plain on the mission of disposing of the illegal fishing nets at Nanikelako area around 13:00 hours.
