ZKPA secretary-general Nesbert Mapfumo said the proliferation of rigs, including illegal operations, has intensified pressure on the small sardine-like fish.
“There are too many people fishing for kapenta, and once these rigs are in the water, the pressure on the stock becomes very high. There is also an element of overfishing in the lake because there are so many fishing rigs,” he said.
Mapfumo said Zimbabwe currently has about 470 licensed rigs, while Zambia alone has more than 2,000, with part of the increase attributed to illegal fishing.
“For us to cope with this, we continue to engage the government while we are saying the rigs must be reduced,” he said.
Research has linked fishing pressure to declining productivity. A University of Zimbabwe study found that catch per unit effort on the Zimbabwean side fell from 0.6 in 1997 to 0.13 in 2009, concluding that fishing effort needed to be controlled.
The issue is significant because kapenta provides food and income for communities around Lake Kariba.
Research in Zimbabwe’s Sanyathi basin found that fishing remains a primary livelihood, while declining income from the fishery has contributed to food insecurity.
Earlier regional fisheries assessments have also identified increased fishing effort, illegal practices and undersized nets as factors behind declining catches.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development is expected to meet fisheries stakeholders next month to discuss a possible cap on rigs and a closed season.