FISHERY COUNTRY PROFILE Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FID/CP/BDI Rev. 4 October 1999 PROFIL DE LA PÊCHE PAR PAYS Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture RESUMEN INFORMATIVO SOBRE LA PESCA POR PAISES Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación

THE REPUBLIC OF BURUNDI

GENERAL ECONOMIC DATA

FISHERIES DATA

Commodity balance (1998):

Note: n.d. = no data available.

Burundi’s fish catch comes almost entirely from Lake Tanganyika, whose waters are shared by the Democratic Republic of Congo, by Tanzania and by Zambia. Smaller inland lakes, the most notable of which are Lake Cohoha and Lake Rweru along the border with Rwanda in the north of Burundi, also host fisheries for tilapia and catfish (using gillnets, seines, traps and longlines), but their contribution to the national catch is very minor. Various rivers, swamps and floodplains associated with the Ruzizi, Kagera, and Malagarazi river basins also provide small catches.

Lake Tanganyika is the second deepest lake in the world (after Lake Baikal), and has a mean depth of 570 m. Its total area is 32 900 km², of which 2 600 km² (about 8%) is within the borders of Burundi. The size and depth of Lake Tanganyika give it sea-like characteristics in that, unlike most African lakes, its principal resources are found mostly in the pelagic zone. Fishing has intensified considerably over the course of the 20th century, reflecting the dramatic expansion of human population and settlements around the lake and the introduction of various technical innovations, such as paraffin oil (kerosene) pressure lamps for night fishing, synthetic netting material, and motorized craft. Modern harvest operations primarily exploit six endemic non-cichlid, pelagic species. These include the two schooling clupeid ‘sardines’ or dagaas (known locally as "ndagala"), Limnothrissa miodon and Stolothrissa tanganicae, together with their major predators, all centropomid perches of the genus Lates, namely L. stappersii, L. angustifrons, L. mariae and L. microlepis. Of the Lates species, the last three are incidental to the catch: the lake’s commercial fishery is essentially based on the two clupeids (ca 65% by weight) and L. stappersii (ca 30% by weight). Lake-wide, annual harvest levels in recent years have been estimated to vary between 165 000 and 200 000 t, volumes that translate into annual earnings of the order of tens of millions of US dollars. Burundi’s share of the total lake-wide catch in 1995 was around 12%, or 21 000 t.

The lake’s present-day fisheries are conventionally classified according to gear into traditional, artisanal and industrial types. The traditional fishery is based on the use of "lusenga" or scoop nets (in conjunction with fire-light or lamp-light attraction) for the harvest of clupeids, and gillnets, longlines, handlines, traps, spears and poisons for the capture of demersal species. It is strongly, if not predominantly, a subsistence activity undertaken by fishing units composed of one or two persons operating with dugouts or simple plank canoes propelled by paddles and, in some cases, lateen-rigged sails. Traditional fishing with lusenga nets has undergone substantial decline in recent decades in the face of widespread adoption of more efficient artisanal gear. The 1995 Frame Survey of Lake Tanganyika estimated 642 planked canoes and 46 dugout canoes distributed amongst the 54 landing sites along the Burundi shoreline of Lake Tanganyika.

Artisanal fishing in the Burundian sector of Lake Tanganyika is primarily for commercial purposes, using lift nets. The artisanal fishery has grown immensely from the late 1950s, when the technique of lift-netting was first introduced in the northern portion of the lake. It is operated from catamaran vessels (usually two wooden-planked canoes lashed together with poles and propelled with an outboard engine) outfitted with pressure lamps and operated by a four- or five-person crew. In the 1990s, the introduction of very large, so-called "Apollo," lift nets has greatly increased the fishing power of artisanal units, to the point where they are at least as effective as the large purse seines deployed by industrial units (see below). The lift-net fisheries primarily target clupeids, with S. tanganicae accounting for most of the catch by weight. In 1995, some 630 artisanal units were enumerated.

Industrial fishing units each comprise a large (16-20 m) steel main vessel, a smaller net-setting vessel, and three or more light boats, requiring in all a crew of 20 to 40 persons to operate. The industrial fishery traces back to the mid-1950s, when Greek nationals introduced the technique into Burundian waters. Purse seine units operated from larger ports throughout the lake until the early 1990s, when they started to concentrate in the southern portion. The drastic decline in industrial fishing in northern waters is reflected in the migration or retirement of many purse seine units. Of the 13 industrial units active in Burundi in 1992, only two were still active in 1995. The other units have either been decommissioned or shifted to Zambia, in the south of the lake. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) for industrial units (purse seiners) has been declining. Nightly CPUE of industrial units in Burundi dropped from 166 kg in 1994 to 111 kg in 1996.

Aquaculture

The geography and hydrology of Burundi are regarded as generally appropriate to the development of fish culture. Pond-based aquaculture was introduced in the 1950s, but with poor success. Rural fish farming was re-launched in 1985, with U.S. Peace Corps/USAID assistance, under a programme that promoted a simple technique for rearing tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in small-scale ponds. Various non-governmental organizations have also been involved with the promotion of small-scale aquaculture, which began enjoying fair popularity by the late 1980s. An FAO project initiated in 1987 sought to consolidate and expand fish farming throughout the country through a long-term development programme that involved provision of technical assistance for the coordination and supervision of extension efforts. By the early 1990s, it was estimated that there were 2 000 to 3 000 fish farmers active in the country, and that pond production was in the range of 40 t per year. The outlook for continued growth in the culture sector appears good. A new project, Développment de l’Aquaculture et de la Pêche Artisanale (DAPA), was initiated in 1998, and is expected to provide a major boost to fish farming development.

Utilization of the catch

Fish is a major source of animal protein in the country, and in the lake area and in the major urban centres of Bujumbura, Gitega and Ngozi it serves as the most important single source of animal protein. Good all-weather roads connect the landing sites along the Lake Tanganyika shore with Bujumbura, Burundi’s capital and largest city, and most of the national catch is marketed there. Legislation requires that the entire catch of industrial units (much reduced in recent years) be sold in the Bujumbura central market. The artisanal catch is generally sun-dried before marketing. This process is carried out directly on the beaches, and often results in serious wastage during the rainy season, when fish catches reach their peak.

Development interventions to improve local processing efficiency and product quality, including establishment of facilities for smoking, salting, drying and packaging, have been attempted through a variety of projects over the years, but with little success. An FAO/UNDP development project provided assistance to the artisanal harvest and post-harvest sectors in the mid-1970s, and a World Bank project subsequently assisted in establishing a parastatal organization, known as SUPOBU (Societé d’Usines de Poissons du Burundi), to facilitate the availability of fishing gear, boats, credit and processing centres. SUPOBU’s fish distribution and marketing activities proved unprofitable, and were abandoned. As SUPOBU deficits mounted, the whole operation was eventually dissolved in 1986.

Despite improvement in national infrastructure in recent years, particularly within the northeastern regions of the country, many areas of the interior lack any regular availability of fish. Imports of fish consist mainly of dried product from Tanzania, which is generally undeclared and often destined for re-export to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Small amounts of tinned or frozen fish are sold to higher-income consumers in the retail markets of Bujumbura.

Economic role of the industry

Fisheries in Burundi contribute only an estimated 1% to the country’s agricultural GDP and 0.5% to its global GDP. Although these figures suggest that fisheries play but a minor role in the national economy, their significance as a source of food and, particularly along the Tanganyika lakeshore, as a source of employment, is very substantial. Fish represents close to 30% of the total animal protein available in the national food supply, and in many areas it is of vital significance for the nourishment, and indeed survival, of local inhabitants. Those engaged in the artisanal fishery enjoy annual earnings that are well above estimated national averages. Furthermore, in a context where the overall rural economy offers very limited opportunities for gainful employment, fisheries work may offer opportunities for at least a moderate level of remuneration, and, depending on the job, conditions of entry in terms of skill and investment requirements may be relatively favourable.

DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

The pelagic fisheries of the Burundi waters of Lake Tanganyika seem to have reached a point of full development, and demersal resources are negligible. Expansion of the purse-seine fishery from the 1950s soon resulted in a substantial reduction in the harvest of three Lates species, i.e., L. mariae, L. microlepis and L. angustifrons, all of which seem to be particularly vulnerable to localized overfishing. Today’s simple composition of the main commercial pelagic stocks, with two clupeids and L. stappersii, is a demonstration of the selective pressures imposed by the mechanized large-scale fishery. Signs of excess fishing pressure on S. tanganicae stocks (high juvenile content and smaller mean length in catches) have been noted for the northern end of the lake, on both west and east coasts north of Karonda (Burundi coastline, about 75 km from the northern tip of the lake). Indications of possibly excessive exploitation pressures on L. stappersii have also been noted for the northern end of the lake, as a result of the effects of successive waves of heavy industrial fishing and artisanal fishing. L. stappersii now forms only around 20% of the commercial catch in northern waters, with juveniles accounting for most of this contribution. In view of these circumstances, it would not appear advisable for development efforts to press for further expansion from present harvest levels. A better course would be to concentrate on strengthening management capabilities in support of resource sustainability. Also, improvements in the post-harvest sector would in effect augment current fish supply from the lake by reducing product loss during processing and market distribution, especially during the rainy season, by eliminating spoilage and contamination. Other development avenues that need to be pursued are rehabilitation of the fisheries of the interior lakes, which, with an area of some 15 000 ha, have the potential of providing a catch of at least 750 t of tilapia a year, together with continued encouragement of small-scale pond culture.

RESEARCH

Since the early 1960s, considerable initiatives have been taken in fisheries research, technical assistance and institution building within the Lake Tanganyika basin, under the new national development agenda of the post-independence era. However, these were mostly organized as country-specific projects. Recognition of the need to bolster regional integration of fisheries management efforts on the lake led to the preparation of a draft project document and its tabling at the First Session of the Committee for Inland Fisheries of Africa (CIFA) Sub-Committee for Lake Tanganyika in 1978. This initiative was followed up through a series of draft revisions and eventually resulted in the establishment of the FAO-executed Lake Tanganyika Research (LTR) project (Research for the Management of the Fisheries on Lake Tanganyika, GCP/RAF/271/FIN), which became fully operational in January 1992. LTR headquarters were hosted by Burundi’s Département des Eaux, Pêches et Pisciculture in Bujumbura.

Core activities of LTR’s ecosystem research approach were organized under the scientific sampling programme (SSP), which ran to July 1996. SSP components included hydrodynamics, limnology, fish and zooplankton biology, remote sensing, fish genetics, and fisheries statistics. The project’s research vessel, Tanganyika Explorer, was used extensively as a platform for the conduct of complementary hydro-acoustic studies (to develop biomass estimates) and sampling surveys related to various other SSP components. SSP work, along with other LTR activities and research outcomes, has been extensively documented through the project’s publication series. In 1997, the LTR team embarked on a programme of community investigations that involved a lake-wide survey of landing sites, fishers and trader/processors. Particular efforts were made to collect information on fishery problems and prospects from the viewpoint of local stakeholders.

The LTR Project Management Working Group, formed in late 1997, brought together a team of LTR advisers, project associates from the respective national counterpart agencies of Burundi and the other lacustrine countries, as well as the University of Kuopio in Finland, and FAO technical officers from the Fisheries Department (FI) and the Development Law Service (LEGN). The group worked to collate and assess major results of six years of LTR research on the size and structure of Lake Tanganyika’s resources and the state of their exploitation, as well as the socio-economic dimensions and legal-institutional aspects of its fishery. These efforts culminated in the drafting of a Framework Fisheries Management Plan (FFMP) for Lake Tanganyika, which is based on principles laid out in the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF). After review and discussion with national fisheries authorities of the four lacustrine states, and a series of consultations with local resource-user groups, the FFMP was adopted by delegates to the Eighth Session of the CIFA Lake Tanganyika Sub-Committee (Lusaka, Zambia, 18-21 May 1999). Consistent with CCRF principles, the Lake Tanganyika FFMP calls for policy orientations favouring: (i) adaptive management (interactive and flexible accommodation to changing circumstances and fishing pressure); (ii) multi-disciplinary perspectives (monitoring capabilities to measure both bio-physical and socio-economic dimensions; (iii) management in partnership (promotion of local stakeholder group involvement in decision making and securing compliance); (iv) resource access and use rights (control of access and fishing rights at local community levels); and (v) economic diversification (adoption of integrated development strategies and coastal area management approaches to reduce pressure on fisheries resources and accommodate interactions between fisheries and non-fisheries sectors).

In mid-1999, the LTR Project, in collaboration with Burundi and the other lacustrine States, the FISHCODE Project (Assistance to Developing Countries for the Implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, GCP/INT/648/NOR), the African Development Bank and the Government of Finland, embarked on efforts to ensure effective adoption and implementation of the FFMP through establishment of a regional technical assistance and capacity-building programme for Lake Tanganyika. A feasibility study for the FFMP Implementation Programme was scheduled for late 1999 or early 2000.

AID

Within the past ten years, Burundi has hosted a number of fisheries or fisheries-related projects. The most important of these is the LTR Project, described above, which has been supported primarily through funding provided by the Government of Finland, and also through arrangements with the Arab Gulf Programme for the United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND), the Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Project, and the FISHCODE Project. The LTR global budget amounts to some $US 8.5 million.

From 1995, another major undertaking, the Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Project (LTBP), has complemented LTR’s fisheries-related investigations. Established with an initial budget of some $US 5 million provided through the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), LTBP’s remit is to address wider, basin-scale management problems of pollution control, conservation, and the maintenance of biodiversity. LTR and LTBP have engaged in extensive cooperation through the sharing of national staff, technical equipment and documentation, and some survey costs and administrative support.

The DAPA Project (Développment de l’Aquaculture et de la Pêche Artisanale) was initiated in May 1998 by the Government of Burundi and the African Development Bank, with a budget of some $US 7 million. DAPA’s components include: (i) aquaculture development; (ii) fisheries management; and (iii) improvement of artisanal fisheries methods.

A new fisheries-related activity, Project IDEAL, was in its preparatory phase in mid-1999. Its aims were to: (i) obtain long, high-resolution records of climatic change in tropical East Africa; and (ii) provide a comprehensive training programme for African students and scientists, and strengthen African institutional capabilities in the aquatic sciences, that would result in research partnership between African and northern hemisphere limnologists and paleoclimatologists. As of mid-1999, financial support had not been fully mobilized.