COUNTRY FILES (Contd.)

ZAMBIA

1. GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

Zambia (with a surface area of 740 720 km²) is situated on a plateau which varies between 1 000 and 1 500 m in altitude. Land of slightly higher elevation traverses the country from the centre to the northeast and forms the watershed between the Zambezi and Zaire Basins.

The climate is subtropical with pronounced seasons: winter (May to August) and summer (September to March). The main rainfall is concentrated into a single season from October to April.

Zambia is mainly an agricultural country, but with a developed mining industry in the north. There is some pastoralism on the floodplain flats, and three major barrages (Kariba, Kafue Gorge, and Itazhitezhi) have been installed for power generation.

2. HYDROGRAPHY (see Fig. 1)

2.1 Lakes

Zambia has abundant lacustrine resources which include significant portions of Lakes Tanganyika and Mweru as well as Lakes Bangweulu and Mweru Wa Ntipa. Smaller lakes include Ishila Ngandu, Lusiwashi and Ben. There are numerous lakes of varying sizes associated with the major floodplains.

2.3 Rivers, Floodplains and Swamps (mainly Welcomme, 1979a)

Part of two major river basins, the Zambezi and the Zaire, lie within Zambia. In the Zambezi Basin, the Zambezi River itself flows for 600 km through the country and forms the frontier successively with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique for a further 825 km. The main tributaries are the Kafue (855 km) and the Luangwa (780 km).

In the Zaire Basin the Chambezi River (465 km) flows into the Bangweulu swamp/lake complex and the Luapula (555 km) flows out of it into Lake Mweru. The Luapula River forms the frontier with Zaire for much of its length.

Major floodplain/swamp systems associated with the rivers are: Barotse Floodplain (Zambezi River); Lukanga Swamp (Kafue River); Kafue Flats/Gorge Reservoir Complex (Kafue River); Luapula Floodplain (Kifukula Depression) (Luapula River). Two smaller swamps (Kapabi, containing Lake Wasa, and Chibwa) occur on headwater tributaries of the Luapula River. The Busanga Swamp is located on the Lufupa, a tributary of the Kafue.

2.3 Reservoirs

Forty-five percent of Lake Kariba (2 412 km²) lies within Zambia and two smaller reservoirs (Mulungushi and Mita Hills) are situated near Lusaka. There are large dams across the Kafue River at either end of the Kafue Flats floodplain; Itezhitezhi Dam forms a reservoir of 360 km², while Kafue Gorge Dam controls, to some extent, the water level on the Kafue Flats. L'Heureux (1985) reported that there are some 479 major dams.

2.4 Coastal Lagoons: None; Zambia is landlocked.

Fig. 1. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF FISHERIES COVERED BY THE FISHERIES STATISTICAL SURVEY
(Bazigos et al., 1975)

3. FISHERY PRODUCTION/POTENTIAL

3.1 Aquaculture

L'Heureux (1985) reported the aquaculture situation as follows:

"The extent of fish-farming in Zambia is not very well known. Most estimates give as 313 ha the total surface under production including 47 ha or 15% in government stations, 180 ha or 58% in commercial farms and the rest (86 ha or 27%) in rural ponds exploited mostly for self-consumption. This area estimate of 313 ha represents a substantial increase from the 1967 estimate of 100 ha.

"There are 19 government stations, with a total of 338 ponds, of 1 400 m²/pond on average. The number of commercial fish farmers is estimated at 90. Total number of ponds is estimated at 500, with an average of 3 600 m²/pond (including small reservoirs stocked for fish farming). There would be around 2 000 rural farmers which have included fish farming in their activities; they would exploit 2 162 ponds with an average of 400 m²/pond.

"Average yield for government stations is estimated at 2 t/ha, which represents a total annual production of 94 tons for that sector. Commercial fish farms are estimated to have average yields of 3 t/ha, which would give a total annual production of 540 tons. Rural ponds have estimated yields of 1 t/ha, for a total production of 86 tons. Thus total fish farming in Zambia would be about 710 tons. Those figures were estimated in collaboration with FAO/UNDP project management. This nevertheless represents a substantial increase from the 1967 level of production estimated at 88.7 tons.

“At its present state of development, fish farming production would represent less than 2% of total fish production in Zambia. But taking into account that output from fish farms is sold fresh, it represents around 5% of that fresh fish supply.”

Aquaculture production in 1987 reached 1 020 tons, including 918 tons of Oreochromis andersonii, 71 tons of various tilapia species, and 31 tons of Cyprinus carpio (Vincke, 1989, pers.comm.).

3.2 Fish production and per caput supply

Table 1. FISH PRODUCTION AND PER CAPUT SUPPLY - Zambia, 1970–1987

¹ Source: FAO
² Source: FAO Fisheries Department FISHDAB, based on National Statistics
³ included in “Inland capture” if not specified
⁴ - = data not available
⁵ Vincke, 1989 (pers.comm.)

3.3 Inland catch range and potential yield

Table 2.

¹ Sources: see text

Total annual yield: 66 500 t

Potential annual yield: 117 300 t

4. STATE OF THE FISHERY

[redrawn after Welcomme (1979a) and Coopconsult-Propesca (1982)]

4.1 Yield

The fishing activities of Zambia are carried on in an extremely rich variety of lakes, swamps, rivers, floodplains and other bodies of water (both natural and man made) which are distributed throughout the country. Each fishery area is physically different from the others, and the fishing activity that is carried on varies accordingly.

The introduction of Limnothrissa miodon in Lake Kariba in 1968 and the subsequent commencement of commercial fishing has greatly improved the potential yield for this area. In Lake Tanganyika there may be room for increased production with intensified exploitation of Stolothrissa, but the Zambian waters are already among the most intensively fished on the lake, and it is doubtful whether any considerable increase can be made. The Lake Mweru/Luapula fishery has been in decline for many years, with a progressive decline of favoured fish species such as Labeo altivelis and Oreochromis macrochir. However, the tonnage has been maintained through the fishing-up process which now exploits the smaller and faster-growing Alestes. The level of Lake Mweru Wa Ntipa is very variable and catches fluctuate from year to year depending on the rainfall. Lake Bangweulu has undergone a fishing-up process similar to Lake Mweru, with increased catches of less desirable species. It is doubtful if the process can continue indefinitely, and active measures to protect the fishery were being instituted in 1974.

The fishery of the Kafue Flats has been altered by the installation of dams upstream and downstream of the floodplain. The fish catch is very sensitive to fluctuations in water level and the status of the fishery is in doubt, due to the recent hydrological management of the system.

Two fisheries which are at present seemingly underexploited are the flood-plain fisheries of the Zambezi, where considerable increase in catch can be anticipated, and the Lukanga Swamp.

The total production of the fisheries of Zambia is estimated at 60 000 t/yr on average. The catch/fisherman varies between a maximum of 2.8 t/yr on Lake Tanganyika and 2.6 t/yr in Mweru Wa Ntipa, down to 1.0 to 2.0 t/fisherman for the other fisheries.

Table 2 summarizes the production for each fishery.

4.2 Factors influencing yield

Several of the Zambian fisheries are on floodplains and are therefore sensitive to seasonal floods. Similarly, Lake Mweru Wa Ntipa fluctuates in level and yield. It is to be anticipated that the total fish catch from Zambia will vary widely, depending on the rainfall patterns.

In Lukanga, Bangweulu, Upper Zambezi, and the River Luapula, all floodplain or swamp fisheries, it is poor access and distance from main markets that depresses production. Overfishing does not generally appear to be a problem, although the increasing use of smaller meshes and improper techniques (such as fish driving and beach seines) give cause for concern. Many fisheries, particularly the floodplains and swamps, still have vast untouched areas.

Decline in the share of clupeids in catches of the industrial fleet of Lake Tanganyika is commonly attributed to effects of beach seines that are undoubtedly landing too many juveniles and immature fish, justifying their substitution.

4.3 Future development possibilities

The potential yield of Zambia's eight major fisheries (producing over 1 000 t/yr) can be estimated conservatively at 116 000 t/yr. In all of them except two, present yields are less than 55% of MSY. The exceptions are Mweru Wa Ntipa, where today's recorded output is equal to 84% of estimated MSY, and Lake Tanganyika (yielding 77% of potential). All the fishery areas except Mweru Wa Ntipa can support nearly double their present production levels, depending mainly on improved access and marketing. Increased yields can also be anticipated from the various reservoirs and from aquaculture.

5. KEY BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fishculture: L'Heureux, 1985
Fisheries surveys: Bazigos et al., 1975           Coopconsult-Propesca, S.p.A., 1982           Muncy, 1973

6. WATER BODIES DIRECTORY

BANGWEULU LAKES/SWAMP COMPLEX

The Bangweulu system is a complex of interconnecting lakes and swamps. The largest water bodies are known as Lakes Bangweulu, Chifanauli, Kampolombo, Kangwena, Walilupe. Lakes Katilye, Chofwe, Kasala, Kampondo, Chaya, Bemba, Chali, Chibambo and Pook as well as numerous other smaller lakes are also present.

Data on individual components: (after Toews, 1975)

Physical and chemical data:

Ionic composition: (mg/l)

Total annual catch and effort:

* Source: 1966–74: Bazigos et al., 1975

Potential annual yield: 20 000 t (Coopconsult-Propesca, 1982)

Specific reference: Toews, 1975

Fig. 2. LAKES AND SWAMPS OF THE BANGWEULU SYSTEM
(Welcomme, 1972)

LAKE BEU

LAKE CHISI

LAKE ISHIBA NGANDU

LAKE LUSIWASHI

Fisheries data
Total annual catch and effort:

Potential annual yield: 500 t (Coopconsult-Propesca, 1982)

LAKE MWANGE

LAKE MWERU
(International water)

* Source: 1966–1974: Bazigos et al., 1975

Fig. 3. LAKE MWERU,, THE KIFAKULA DEPRESSION, LAKE MWERU WA NTIPA, AND LUAPULA SWAMPS
(Welcomme, 1972)

LAKE MWERU WA NTIPA

Comments: Ex-swamp that was virtually dry in the late 1950's. Conflicting land use with national park. Market-oriented gill-net fishery is landing 90% good-sized tilapia (Oreochromis macrochir). (Coopconsult-Propesca, 1982)

Total annual catch and effort:

* Source: 1966–1974: Bazigos et al., 1975

Potential annual yield: 13 000 t (Coopconsult-Propesca, 1982)

LAKE TANGANYIKA
(International water)

in Zambia:

* 1966–1974: Bazigos et al., 1975
** 1988: Mikkola & Lindquist, 1989

Fig. 4. LAKE TANGANYIKA
(Welcomme, 1972)

KAFUE RIVER

LUANGWA RIVER
(International water)

LUAPULA RIVER
(International water)

ZAMBEZI RIVER
(International water)

Physical and chemical data above Lake Kariba (Coche, 1968)

BAROTSE FLOODPLAIN/UPPER ZAMBEZI RIVER

* Source: Bazigos et al., 1975

Potential annual yield: 14 000 t (Coopconsult-Propesca, 1982)

Specific reference: FAO/UN (1969, 1970)

Fig. 5. RIVERS AND LAKES OF THE ZAMBEZI
(Welcomme, 1972)

LUKANGA SWAMP

* Source: Bazigos et al., 1975
** Total catch in 1980: 3 500 t (Coopconsult-Propesca, 1982)

Potential annual yield: 8 000 t (Coopconsult-Propesca, 1982)

ITEZHITEZHI RESERVOIR

KARIBA RESERVOIR
(International water)

Total annual catch: in Zambia

Sources: * 1966–74: Bazigos et al., 1975
** 1980: Coopconsult-Propesca, 1982

Fig. 6. LAKE KARIBA
(Welcomme, 1972)

MITA HILLS RESERVOIR

MULUNGUSHI RESERVOIR

KAFUE FLATS/GORGE RESERVOIR COMPLEX

* Source: 1966–74: Bazigos et al., 1975

Potential annual yield: 17 000 t (Coopconsult-Propesca, 1982)

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aubray, 1976
Balarin, 1984
Bazigos et al., 1975
Coche, 1968; 1969
Compere & Symoens, 1987
Coopconsult-Propesca S.p.A., 1982
Corsi et al., 1986
De Kimpe, 1960; 1964
Entz, 1984
FAO/UN, 1969; 1970
Greenwood, 1964
Harding, 1961
Jackson, 1971
Jubb, 1961
Kaptesky & Petr, 1984
Konare, 1984
L'Heureux, 1985
Marshall, 1984a,b,c
Melack, 1976
Mikkola & Lindquist, 1989
Mortimer, 1965
Muncy, 1973
Stappers, 1914
Talling & Talling, 1965
Toews, 1975
Welcomme, 1972; 1979a