At the same time the consultant made the survey of the European markets for the Lake Nyasa cichlids, he investigated the potential interest of these markets in importing marine species from the expansive coral reefs in Mozambique.
The market for marine species from tropical seas is receiving very large supplies from many areas, such as the Indo-Pacific Oceans, the Caribbean Sea and the Red Sea.
Indian Ocean fishes are exported from Kenya, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Mauritius. Most of these countries basically offer the same variety of fishes and invertebrates and the competition is very fierce and prices commensurate with the quantities supplied.
Fortunately the market is still expanding, especially toward such sources of supply which have not yet been tapped, or very little, such as the African coastal reefs. The demand for Mozambique coral reef fishes and invertebrates is thus potentially very high, particularly in that the reefs of the other African countries such as Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania are not as extensive as those lying in Mozambique waters.
Although basically all the shorelines of the Indian Ocean endowed with coral reefs share an identical marine fauna, there are local endemisms, such as those which can be observed in Mauritius, Kenya and Mozambique which warrant special interest from the dealers.
All dealers interviewed thus showed on eagerness to secure the Mozambique coral reef fauna, provided, of course that:
prices be in line with those of similar species from other sources
shipments would be of the trade standards in quality and variety
All the dealers who were interviewed in the Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium and Sweden imported between 100 and 200 boxes of marine fauna weekly, and put a conservative estimate for the whole of Europe at about 5 000 to 6 000 boxes imported monthly during the sales season. All agreed that several hundreds of boxes per month could be exported from Mozambique, which has about 1 000 km of coral reefs along its coastline.
When asked if the competition from other sources of supply around the Indian Ocean would not prevent Mozambique from exporting its products, the consensus was that for years the dealers had tried to have supplies from Kenya and Tanzania, but that their efforts had been futile because the few exporters in Mombasa or Dar es-Salaam could not or would not satisfy their requests. The fact is that several of the best marine collecting grounds in Kenya and Tanzania, given the small extent of the reefs, are protected in national parks.
Even if several of the coral reefs in Mozambique were destined to national parks - as can be hoped - the extent of the reefs is such that enough fishing grounds could be open to a rational exploitation of ornamental fauna without fear of depletion.
In view of the fact that the Cabo Delgado province capital, Pemba (previously Porto Amelia), linked to Maputo by regular bi-weekly flights, lies in the middle of very large coral reefs, neither the dealers nor the consultant anticipated many problems in having the consignments forwarded to Maputo and its international airport. This opinion was strengthened after the consultant made a survey of the Pemba coral reefs and facilities.
Following his report on prevailing European market conditions, the authorities of Mozambique asked the consultant to conduct an improvized survey of the coastal fringing reefs in the northern part of the Mozambique coastline. This survey was intended to assess the density and variety of coral reef fauna, fishes and invertebrates, which could form the basis for an export activity of ornamental species.
As for the Lake Nyasa investigations, the consultant conducted this survey not only with a view to establishing a preliminary inventory of what could be exported (for which the time allotted was very limited), but also to have a basic understanding of the problems involved in collecting the fauna, the cost, the logistical problems involved in supporting this activity in the province and the organization needed to make it successful.
In constrast with the Lake Nyasa cichlids, the potential market was known from the outset to be substantial, and the variety of fishes expected to be such, along with the wide array of colourful invertebrates, as to warrant many years of exploitation.
On the other hand, if the future of the Lake Nyasa cichlids appears bleak in that as soon as new varieties are marketed they are suffering from the breeders' activity, any marine fauna exports would be met by fierce competition from the other sources of supply around the Indian Ocean.
Any undertaking exploiting the coral reef biotopes had thus to be assessed in the context of investment and operational costs, but not as an operation which might be destroyed by the disappearance of the markets after very few years of activity.
As such the infrastructure of the undertaking could become more elaborate and the investments needed to make it operational have better amortization.
Apart from identifying the presence and density of valuable fauna species (see Appendix 3), the survey was thus essentially aimed at a first assessment of the location and configuration of the fringing reefs along the coastline and the archipelagos in order to determine the feasibility of low-cost collecting and also to have an idea of the organization and logistics involved. Fortunately the survey proved that the project could be planned and become operational in a very short time and at minimal cost in basic investment as well as operational costs.
A short survey of the reefs, first by low-flying aircraft and then on the field, proved that exploitable reefs existed close to Pemba which could provide a wide array of fauna to sustain initial exports, and that on the islands north and south of the city the reefs were so developed that an inexhaustible supply of fishes and invertebrates was at hand. From the practical aspect of collecting, the layout of the reefs responded to three main configurations:
to the leeward side of the islands (south) expansive beds of flat rubble, with few live coral head outcrops over sandflats, offer excellent opportunity to fish in shallow waters at ebb-tide by teams of schnorkelling fishermen, with monofilament barrier nets, without the need for SCUBA diving-gear equipment
in the current-swept inter-island channels and other selected places, isolated coral outcrops a few metres in diameter and height lying 3 to 4 m deep at ebb-tide, offer excellent fishing grounds for SCUBA-equipped teams collecting fishes with tranquillizers and barrier nets. The strong currents prevailing in the channels would however restrict fishing time to perhaps an hour a day at most
on the windward side of the islands the slopes are much steeper, and a maze of coral outcrops several metres high covers the whole ground from near the surface to the lowest parts of the exploitable range.
Not only were the corals so dense that collecting would become a very difficult process, even with SCUBA gear, but the proximity of deep waters would increase the risk of shark attacks. From personal experiences of diving in crocodile-infested waters, the consultant knows that good collecting is incompatible with permanent menace from the open; the diver is either so absorbed in his task and investigating the substratum that he is unwary of potential danger, or he is so disturbed by the need for caution that his collecting is poor. As collecting is a daily chore either the fishermen become uncautious or work under unbearable stress, as they know that it is an entirely different matter to make an occasional dive in dangerous waters, or to work there repeatedly day after day. However, as other safer fishing grounds are at hand, the project can avoid exploitating the deep biotopes and send the divers to those safer areas.
The survey was too short to give more than a broad idea of the fishing potential of the Cabo Delgado province and the exploitation will have to be continued and expanded, so that the organization can be detailed.
The coral reefs south and north of Pemba extend over several hundreds of kilometres of which only those around Pemba itself can be reached by road; all the other reefs can be reached only by boat. One of the islands, Ibo, lying to the north of Pemba, has an airstrip and has regular air connexions with Pemba by small carriers. Ibo can be reached by coastal trading vessels in about 8 hours and by air in 20 minutes. The island is about 3 km long and wide and lies in the middle of several islands, all with extensive coral reefs facing seaward. The inter-island coastal waterway is clogged with mangrove and sand/mud flats with few and scattered coral concretions. An aerial survey of the area showed that the typical coral formations of thin coral flats in shallow water and steep slopes overgrown with thick coral outgrowths was a regular feature of the other islands close to Ibo, such as Quirimba and Metambo.
The island of Ibo has a power supply lasting a few hours in the evening, no water supply except from brackishwater wells, operational telephone links with Pemba and staff from the Fisheries Department and national fishing company (PESCOM). Ibo has more than 3 000 habitants, many of whom are fishermen. Some of the fishermen earn their living as lobster-divers and could thus be trained to catch ornamental fishes.
In Pemba, the reefs which appear to be best suited for collecting marine fauna lie at opposite capes closing the Bay of Pemba, and especially at the northern one. Pemba has a regular supply of power, tap-water, telephone links with Maputo, and is a major centre in Mozambique. There are PESCOM workshops and other facilities as might be found in an important trading centre. Airlinks with Maputo are bi-weekly, by Boeing 727, with excellent freight capacity and apparently fly on schedule. The flight to Maputo via Nampula and Beira lasts 4 hours.
A fish compound, close to the waterline is a prerequisite of any such undertaking whether in Ibo or in Pemba. It could consist of a thatched hangar in Ibo; and a vacant 2-storey building with large terrace, close to the water edge on top of a small cliff is available in Pemba. This building, with minor alterations and repairs, would be perfectly suited to the undertaking. Its location, close to the city and airport, on a tarred road, with possible anchorage for the fishing boats on the beach nearby, is another considerable advantage.
The facilities needed to support the marine ornamental fauna project are thus in fact easier to set up than for Lake Nyasa, as:
while on Lake Nyasa the collecting station is still 130 km away from the main provincial airport and with precarious links by dirt road or air, the marine collecting station would be in Pemba itself
on Lake Nyasa the best untapped fishing grounds are at least 120 km away and a full day's travel would be needed to bring the catch to Metangula, whereas in Pemba excellent fishing grounds are 30 minutes by boat from Pemba, and at most 20 minutes by air (Ibo fishing grounds)
from Metangula, the headquarters in Maputo cannot be reached by radio or telephone, which means lengthy and uncertain communications. From Pemba they can
the fact that the airlinks between Pemba and Maputo are secured by large capacity aircraft allows for the shipment of important consignments. In the case of a flight breakdown, the shipment can be stored in the Pemba facilities. In Lichinga, which has no transit facility planned, the consignments would be lost
the presence of PESCOM in Pemba and Ibo, with its workshops and organization, is an essential feature in the planning of a collecting station of ornamental fauna in the area. Such an organization does not exist on Lake Nyasa where the ornamental fish undertaking would be entirely on its own, and would need to have its own maintenance facilities and staff.
The essential difference between the two undertakings is thus that the holding facilities and local headquarters in Lake Nyasa province would be in a remote secondary city, gateway to even more remote grounds, whereas in Cabo Delgado province, the facilities and collecting station would be in the provincial capital itself with fast connexions with Maputo, workshops and many supplies nearby.
In such undertakings in remote areas, additional difficulties are to be expected with the workers, in view of the fact that they cannot spend their salaries on commodities which are not available for sale in the area. This can represent a problem as the fishermen are not interested in working for money they cannot spend; the undertaking is bound to fail for lack of enthusiasm of local workers. In such cases, the solution could be to make available commodities (if possible, at cost) which they buy with their earnings.
The problems of supplying the collecting station and satellite fishing stations are unfortunately compounded by such a policy, especially in view of the remoteness of the fishing grounds on Lake Nyasa.
In the Pemba area, the workers would have easy access to a major trading centre and the supply problems will thus be fewer.
