JOIN DRIVERN TAXI AS PARTNER DRIVER TODAY!
Luapula fish survey kicks-off
Nchelenge, June 10, 2013, ZANIS… The department of fisheries will this week undertake a catch assessment survey of the fish stocks on the Mweru-Luapula fishery in Luapula province.
Nchelenge district Senior Fisheries Research Officer Bright Nyimbili disclosed this in an interview with ZANIS today .
Mr Nyimbili said the exercise will cover Nchelenge, Kawambwa, Chiengi and Mwense districts.
Mr. Nyimbili said the objective of the survey was to estimate how much fish is produced from the Mweru-Luapula fishery annually adding that the activity will be conducted three times a year.
He said the CAS activity also helps the department to know how much fish contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and how many species are found in the fishery while at the same time help prospective investors in the fishing industry to make informed decisions.
He explained that the CAS activity will be preceded with the two days of mobile training for data collectors which will be followed by three days of the actual data collection that will run concurrently in all the four districts.
Meanwhile, Mr Nyimbili has appealed to fishermen to desist from using illegal and destructive fishing gears on the Mweru-Luapula fishery.
Mr. Nyimbili said the fish stocks have continued dwindling at an alarming rate and blamed the downward trend on the perpetual use of illegal and destructive fishing gears by the fishermen.
The fish catches in Nchelenge district have recorded an all time low causing a sharp rise in the price of the main source of protein for the villagers at KR150.00 for as little as six breams.
