1. The first Technical Consultation on management of the fisheries of lakes Edward and Mobutu was held at Kampala (Uganda) from the 17 to 21 September 1990. The Technical Consultation was attended by delegates from Zaire and Uganda as well as observers shown in Appendix 1. The Secretariat of the Consultation was composed of the FAO/IFIP project staff and the ECA delegation.
2. The permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Animal Industry (MAIF) Mr. J. Bushara, performed the opening ceremony on behalf of the Honour professor G.M. Kagonyera, Minister of Animal Industry and Fisheries in the presence of His Excellency, The Ambassador of Zaire to Uganda, H.E. Mzapa Kengo. This was followed by the speech of the FAO Representative in Uganda, Mr. A. Khalil.
3. The commissioner for Fisheries in Uganda Mr. E.S. Kanyike was elected the Chairman and Mr. Sabuni Kasereka, Director of Fisheries, Zaire was elected the Vice-Chairman. The Technical Consultation adopted the agenda indicated in Appendix 2.
- Lake Mobutu
4. The status of the fisheries of Lake Mobutu and their exploitation were reviewed by Mr. T.O. Acere based on document No 1. This presentation was supplemented by the Secretariat based on documents 2, 3, 4 and 5. This enabled the meeting to note the following observations.
5. The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) estimated in the past needs to be ascertained (Appendix 3).
6. Annual catch is now estimated at about 13,000 tonnes of Zaire and 10,000 tonnes for Uganda. Globally the lakes does not appear to be under exploited. Available statistical data tend to over estimate the rate of exploitation with fish being counted twice, once in Uganda when captured and once more in Zaire when being marketed.
7. However, the range which exists between the possible highest and lowest estimates of the production potential may lead one to question the validity of these estimates. In this context, it is difficult to assess effectively the status of exploitation.
8. Three major species constitute about 85% of total catch on Lake Mobutu: Hydrocynus spp. (35%), tilapias (25%) and Lates (25%). The proportion of tilapias in the catch is higher in Zaire (about twice as much than in Uganda). An inverse situation is observed for Hydrocynus.
9. Illegal use of beach seine and heavy fishing in spawning areas has been reported. This is especially detrimental to the reproduction and growth of certain species (e.g. the tilapias) and the Technical Consultation has expressed concern about this situation.
10. Fishing effort is concentrated in the inshore zones of the lake and close to limited number of landing centres near commercial markets. The Technical Consultation noted that at present there was no precise information on the exploitation of deep water species.
- Lake Edward
11. The status of the fisheries of Lake Edward and the characteristics of their exploitation, were reviewed by Mr. J.R. Kamanyi on the basis of document 6, this presentation has been supplemented by the secretariat on the basis of documents 3, 4, 5 and 7. This permitted the Consultation to note what follows.
12. Studies to estimate the potential of the lake appear to have provided more reliable data as compared to Lake Mobutu. Indeed, most estimates are within the range of 15,000 to 16,000 tons.
13. Total production is now estimated at 14,000 to 15,000 tons of which 12,000 tons for Zaire and 2,000 to 3,000 tons for Uganda. The exploitation of the lake was at its maximum potential.
14. Commercial exploitation focused on five major species: tilapias (60% of total catch), Baqrus (13%), Protopterus (12%), Clarias(3%) and Barbus (3%). Indicative percentages given above reflect the situation prevailing in Zaire with the relative importance of tilapias being less in Uganda (about 40%).
15. The consultation has noted with concern that signs of over exploitation are now reported, such as decreasing fish size for tilapias and diminishing yield per unit effort for gill nets. Beach seines have been withdrawn from the fishery in 1988 on the Uganda side and in 1989 on Zaire side.
16. The quality of fisheries statistics on catch and effort has been adversely affected by lack of means at the disposal of the fisheries administrators, and also by the degree of illegal fishing.
17. The Technical Consultation noted that for both lakes, fisheries regulations were poorly understood and seldom respected by fishermen. This reflects the fact that the fisheries authorities lack the means required to enforce such regulations and the importance of catch for subsistence.
18. It was observed also that the state of knowledge about the fisheries was largely insufficient to allow for adequate fisheries management. Research for the past 15 years has in the end been limited and lacking comprehensiveness. The collection of fisheries data has been similarly insufficient and providing statistics which may not be reliable.
19. The present status of the fisheries resources of both lakes led the Technical Consultation to conclude that priority consideration should be given to a reflection on statistics, research and management. Three working groups were therefore formed and for each of these themes, provided a review of the prevailing situation and formulated recommendations for the consideration of the Consultation. The conclusion of the working groups, as modified and adopted by the Technical Consultation, are presented in sections 2.3. and 2.5.
20. The key features of fish processing and marketing were presented by Mr. C.M. Dhatemwa on the basis of document 8 for Uganda and by Mr. Bete da Sembali on the basis of document 9 for Zaire. These documents have been completed by the secretariat (documents 10 and 11).
21. Concerning Lake Mobutu, and to a lesser extent Lake Edward, an important proportion of the catch is processed prior to being marketed. The importance of processing is directly linked to the poor state of main roads and feeder-roads in particular. Major processing techniques used are fish smoking, drying, salting and to a lesser extent brining.
22. The Consultation noted that processed fish products were generally of poor quality and that post-harvest losses were often important. It was recommended consequently that existing processing methods be improved so as to ensure better preservation and to facilitate marketing.
23. The Consultation noted that an important relationship may exist between the number of hippos found in the parks and fish stock abundance. It was therefore recommended that a study on the relationship between fertilization of the lake by the hippo's population and fish stocks be undertaken.
24. It was noted that fish smoking requires large quantities of wood and that such activity may not be compatible with the conservation of forest resources, especially within national parks.
25. It was recommended that priority attention be given to improving fish smoking techniques especially as regards fuel efficiency and to reforestation programmes around the National parks concerned.
26. The Technical Consultation stressed the need for an integrated approach to the whole “park-lake” ecosystems fully accounting for human, social, economic, faunal and floral environment interactions, as well as for the uniqueness and fragility of these ecosystems. The afore-mentioned linkages (hippo fertilization and fish smoking) are some of the examples of such interactions.
27. As regards fish marketing it is similarly constrained in both countries by relative isolation of landing sites and by very poor road conditions. This severe limits the marketing of fresh fish.
28. The Uganda delegation reported that in Uganda fishing, marketing and export are all regulated through the issue of licences. However, official data only show a small proportion of actual exports to zaire.
29. The Consultation noted that a large proportion of Uganda fish products was exported to Zaire by land or across the lake to border markets.
30. Zaire has a well established and very important market for fish as compared to the other immediate neighbouring countries. It was noted that as a result, the importance of the Zaire market affected fish production and marketing all around Eastern Zaire border.
31. Moreover, the remarkable increase in fish landings observed for Lake Victoria over the last 10 years has deeply affected fish marketing patterns in East Africa. Thus important fish flow from lakes Edward and George to the main consumption centres around Lake Victoria have progressively reversed.
32. The Technical Consultation noted that the exploitation of both lakes was severely constrained by the isolation of the area in general and by poor road conditions. This affects the fishermen at various levels:
supply of fishing inputs, food and basic products;
limited access to health, schooling and administrative services; and
inadequate marketing characterised by limited distribution, losses and high costs.
Therefore, the Consultation strongly recommended that authorities in both countries take responsibility for road improvement to facilitate better the development of the fisheries.
33. The Technical Consultation further recommended that high priority be given in any future fisheries development programme to the rehabilitation and improvement of feeder roads linking major landing sites to the main markets to make fishing settlements accessible to traders all the year round.
34. The working group, in its deliberations, noted the important statistical data plays in management and planning for development of the fisheries resources in the region.
35. It was further noted that the present available data about the fisheries in the two countries is inadequate, in consistent and inaccurate, thus diminishing the utility of such data for decision making.
36. There is, therefore, a definite need for the two countries to urgently set up programmes and strategies for the collection and analysis of data and make the results sharable for the effective monitoring and management of the fisheries of the two lakes. The working group came out with the following results.
37. Produced a time series table which attempted to capture the evolution of these fisheries from as far back in time as 1953 to the present time (1989). This table also highlights the present fishing effort levels in terms of number of canoes (see Appendix 3).
38. For purposes of achieving comparability of data between the two countries pertinent statistical variable, terminologies etc… on which data are to be commonly collected were defined and accepted, including a table to be used for submission of analyzed information in the region on annual basis. Constraints to the usage of these common terminologies at national level was also highlighted.
39. The recommendations were divided into two categories: specific recommendations and general recommendations.
The specific recommendations were in the areas of:
data acquisition from frame (Census) surveys and their periodicity;
data acquisition from catch assessment surveys; and
data on socio-economic surveys.
40. The general recommendations touched on the statistics tools and management strategies manpower skill enhancement and related aspects which will enable statisticians of the region to better perform their work as well as being able to facilitate cooperation in sharing the acquired data.
Recommendations of the working group on statistics
- Census of the recommendations
41. It was recommended that each country undertake a census at least once every three years. The census would be on the basis of complete enumeration and they would be updated through yearly surveys.
42. It was further recommended that the minimum survey items be the following:
landing sites;
fishermen;
fishing craft by type; and
gear by type.
- Catch assessment survey (CAS)
43. It was strongly recommended that increased support be given by both donor agencies and national governments to the respective fisheries statistical units in order that catch assessment surveys (CAS) may be developed on a sustained basis.
44. Each country should produce a summary of its lakes Edward/Mobutu CAS results on a yearly basis according to the format developed by this working group. These summaries could be discussed during the proposed annual statistical fora and finalised for publication.
45. Regular meetings between national Fisheries Department and Research Institutes should be encouraged to review and compare parallel catch and the methods employed for their collection.
46. Time series data needs to be collected and confirmed in order to study the evolution of these fisheries.
47. Statistical data collection need as far as possible not be linked to taxation as this generates reluctance to data declaration by the fisherman.
- Socio-economic surveys
48. Some revision was recommended for the categories of enumeration employed in the national monitoring systems, so that:
traffic in fish carried by transport boats and may be more reliably assessed; and
numbers and gender of fish processors and traders operating at landing and market sites may be measured.
49. Efforts need to be made forthwith to standardise visiting schedules and sampling procedures with regard to the enumeration of trading activity at minor markets, as current practices are very unsystematic.
50. It was proposed that periodic major sample surveys covering socio-economic dimensions of the fishing industry be undertaken in each country, at intervals of from three to five years.
51. Periodic surveys should entail investigation of such critical areas as infrastructural features and amenities at landing sites and marketplaces, the organisation and profitability of fishing and trading enterprises, and patterns of consumer behaviour.
- General recommendations
52. It was recommended that training should be arranged for:
statisticians and planners in advanced statistical methods, computerised processing of data and dissemination of results; and
supervisors and field enumerators for proper identification of survey items, development of enumeration skill and usefulness of field data at national level.
53. In order for survey work to be efficiently undertaken, it was recommended that facilities by way of transportation, data processing, and field equipment should be procured.
54. To overcome financial and staffing constraints it was recommended that individual governments be requested to look into ways of increasing the budget allocations to statistical units.
55. It was recommended that regional cooperation be strongly encouraged. This may be accomplished through various avenues, the UNDP/FAO Regional Fisheries Project based in Burundi and bilateral Regional Organisation which should be created for Uganda and Zaire.
56. For the sake of better regional cooperation it was further recommended that Regional Coordinator be designated to serve in each national statistical unit.
57. Research is needed for development plans and management measures. The delegates from both Uganda and Zaire identified areas were research work is urgently required. The following were the areas of interest that need urgent attention.
- Stock assessment
58. For the zaire sector, there was need for indirect assessment based on fishermen's catches to monitor fishing trends but for the Uganda sector of the two lakes require direct stock assessment. For both countries stock assessment will focus on the following:
stock size;
distribution patterns;
length frequency distribution;
maturity of harvestable fish species; and
sex ratio.
- Fishing technology
59. Experimental fishing using the gears and sizes in use then, will be carried out to determine optimum mesh size of gear and fishing characteristics.
- Biology and ecology of fish species
60. An examination of the biology and ecology of exploited species of the two lakes should involve the following:
the unexploited haplochromine species presently considered by the local fishermen to be of no commercial importance;
the major commercial fish species;
the declining fish species; and
trophic relationships and habitat of shallow inshore waters, open waters and river mouths.
- Limnology
61. In order to understand the fisheries and their evolution, limnological studies should include:
physico-chemical characteristics of water;
primary production;
nutrient dynamics;
water pollution from copper, cobalt, petroleum and agricultural systems; and
eutrophication causes from hippos.
- Socio-economics of the fishing industry
62. Areas were identified in which socio-economic investigations should be mounted on a collaborative and coordinated basis between the two national territories and their respective fishery agencies. Investigations would serve the purpose of providing baseline information as well as assessing the appropriateness of certain technological adaptations. These should include:
General characteristics:
collection of comprehensive information on a number of socio-economic characteristics of fishing operations, the post harvest sector and fishing communities e.g. enumeration of landings, fish handling and processing facilities, other infrastructural factors and socio-amenities in fishing communities and market places;
cost and earning performances related to both harvest and post-harvest enterprise; and
for post-harvest sector collection of data on species marketed, product quality, price, quantities of product marketed, source of supply and market destination (including preference and market constraints).
Fishing village:
Effective management and development planning must take into account the perspectives of local community residents, therefore research should provide guidance as to areas of conflict and mutuality both potential and actual which obtain between the multiple interests in the use and conservation of the affected resource bases.
Assessment and development of processing methods:
work should focus on practical locally feasible alternative methods to existing fish processing practices particularly with regard to smoke-curing; and
pilot schemes for improved smoking kilns should be mounted to establish the feasibility of locally operated village woodlots.
Survey fishing and transport crafts:
Survey fishing and transport crafts to establish more efficient, economical, safe design and propulsion to be encouraged.
- Research constraints
63. The Technical Consultation identified the following constraints:
inadequate finances for both countries as a major limiting factor to carry out effective research;
the two countries have research institutions situated far away from the lakes: hence the need for establishing sub-stations near these lakes was emphasized and the respective Governments were requested to give support;
the exchange of research findings, management and developmental strategies was difficult. Hence, regular meetings were recommended and the formation of a sub-commission for bilateral collaboration was accepted by the two delegations. This should be supported by the two Governments and external donors
- Manpower needs
64. There is need for training of specialists (zoologists/biologists) at the University of Kisangani for improvement on the required personnel at the CRSN Institute in Zaire and a limnologist is urgently required. However, it was noted that UFFRO in Uganda had more trained manpower and needed less farther training.
- Technical Consultation
65. The delegates noted the importance of research done at Makerere University, the Institute of Ecology at Mweya (Uganda) and UFFRO concerning the fisheries of Lake Edward and the contribution of the two Zaire Institutes namely: IZCN at Lulimbi and SENADEP at Kinshasa for assisting researchers on the Zaire sectors of the two lakes.
66. The working group on management and development of the fisheries of lakes Edward and Mobutu found common ground on the following points as the basis for management effort:
the need to manage for sustainable renewability of the natural resource;
a recognition that fish is a common property resource that has to be jointly managed by Riparian States if damage to the resource is to be avoided; and
a recognition that the two fisheries are currently still artisanal. Hence, management strategy should, be more geared towards this type of fisheries.
67. It was also agreed that this document should cover management and development aspects of a cross section of fishery activities including fish capture, processing, marketing, as well as enforcement of fishery regulations.
68. A review of the management approach by Uganda and Zaire for Lake Edward and Lake Mobutu was made separately so as to highlight the following:
management strategy peculiar to each lake; and
similarities and differences in management strategy between the two countries.
69. The presence in the two National Parks, namely, Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda) and Parc National des Virunga (Zaire) has imposed certain management peculiarities notably control on the fishing effort, fisheries and a number of fishing villages.
70. The Uganda fishery structure of Lake Edward is as follows:
five fishing villages only are allowed by regulation, namely, Kayanja, Katwe, Kisenyi, Rwenshama and Kazinga;
the number of vessels is limited, currently 248 canoes are allowed;
the boundaries of the fishing villages are marked and expansion of these villages beyond present borders is not allowed; and
each canoe is allowed to operate 10 gillnets 26 mesh deep and 90 m maximum, or one long-line of 100 hooks.
71. The fishery on the Zaire side of the lake is structured as shown below;
three fishing villages are allowed, namely: Vitshumbi, Kiavinyonge and Nyakakoma. These villages also have demarcated boundaries;
700 canoes only are authorised to operate on the lake; and
the number of nets per canoe and long lines is not limited.
72. The ratio of the number of authorised canoes in the two countries is similar to the ratio of the proportions of the lake by area. However, Uganda reported a large number of unlicensed canoes (about 200) during the most recent census.
| Country | % Area | Canoes |
| Uganda | 27 | 248 |
| Zaire | 73 | 700 |
73. Consideration was also given to fishing methods:
in Ugandan gillnets or not less than 5" (127mm) stretched mesh set passively, and anchored baited hooks are the only fishing methods authorised.
in Zaire a similar minimum mesh size of gill-nets is authorised; long-lines are also operated; beach seines were used but have been prohibited in 1989. Only one fishing unit is using a semi-industrial boat with purse seine on an experimental basis, all other fishing methods are prohibited.
74. Concerning closed zones, Uganda has no specified closed areas for protecting spawning and nursery grounds of Lake Edward. But the Minister has the prerogative to close any close area to fishing as a management measure. Zaire has, on the other hand, located and demarcated some zones that are important as spawning and nursery grounds. Fishing in these zones is prohibited by regulation.
75. As for immature fish the two countries forbid the capture and marketing of all immature fish.
76. Lake Mobutu's regulations are as follows:
The fishery resources of Lake Mobutu are exposed to a free entry fishing regime in both Uganda and Zaire. There is no limit on number of fish-landings, canoes and gears, operating on the lake. Minimum mesh size allowed for gillnets is 2.5" (60mm) in both countries. Uganda has recently banned the use of beach seines, prohibits the use of purse seines and trawl net. Zaire has recently made recommendation to prohibit seine nets. It must be noted that one unit of purse seine is operating on trial basis; and
Breeding area: Uganda regulations forbid fishing in lagoons and certain shallow bays where fish spawn and the young nursery grounds, where fishing is prohibited. For zaire the spawning areas are delimited and the fishing in these areas is prohibited.
77. The following fishery administrative structures exist in the Riparian States:
Uganda:
the Fisheries Department management system is headed by the Commissioner for Fisheries in the Ministry of Animal Industry and Fisheries;
various field staff constitute the management arm in the field, headed by Regional Fisheries Officers (RFOs);
Lake Edward is covered by one Regional Fisheries Officer based at Kichwamba, plus a good number of Assistant Fisheries Development Officers (AFDOs) and Fisheries Assistants (FAS), based around the lake;
the method of enforcement is flexible and based on education before apprehending; and
the Regional Fisheries Officer at Kichwamba has somewhat adequate equipment for management.
Zaire:
the field agent is at the same time the law enforcement agent, who may give immediate punishment but has to report matters to higher authority at once, the culprit has the right of appeal to a court of law;
Lake Edward is under the control of the North Kivu Regional Coordinator who supervises fisheries activities as well as other environmental aspects;
the National Park agents are also involved in fishery control measures in the course of their duties; and
a fishing company currently operating on the lake namely COPEVI is supposed to give logistical support to the agents, but has limited financial support.
78. The field staff in both Zaire and Uganda should continue to undertake the following activities:
extension service and advise;
collection of fish statistics;
enforcement of fishery regulations; and
exploratory fishing and development work.
79. The field administrative structures around lakes Edward and Mobutu are as follows:
Uganda:
two Regional Fisheries Officers with offices in Panymur and Masindi;
two District Fisheries Officers (DFOS) with offices in Hoima and Fort Portal;
fishing villages are 174 with only eight of them major landing sites; and
there is enough field staff on Edward but transport facilities are minimal here.
Zaire:
extension services except for Lake Edward where extension is not done; and
control and enforcement.
Recommendations of the working group on management and development
80. The following recommendations were made by the working group:
the collection of information on:
fishing effort (numbers of fishing villages, canoes and gear) and
fish stocks;
regulations regarding number of allowable fishing canoes, types, quantity and size of gears, need standardization as well as banning use of beach seines;
control on fishing in area identified and regislated as closed zones for spawning and nursery purposes;
financial support to Fisheries Institutions in the regions of the two lakes.
81. The Technical Consultation noted that deep water stocks are now marginally exploited. Zaire expressed its intentions to progressively rehabilitate the purse seine fleet with historically exploited the deeper part of the lake.
Considering the fragility of the resource, the lack of recent knowledge and research on the stocks of the lake as well as the dependency of may small-scale fisherfolk on the resources, the Technical Consultation recommended that:
high priority be given to the undertaking of a joint research project for evaluating the exploitable resources of the lake so as to provide a basis for the rational exploitation of both its inshore and offshore stocks; and
the subsequent and gradual rehabilitation of the semi-industrial fishery be cautious and carefully monitored.
82. On enforcement, it was recommended that fishery regulations should be strictly enforced by the authorised officers. In this respect, it is desirable that the function of extension and law enforcement should be separated so that the two are not performed by one and the same official in the field.
83. This vast and very important aspect was given brief but careful consideration due to time constraints. It was recommended that further development planning be focused on the following areas:
aspects that would lead to increased fish production;
produce development with a view, for instances, of reducing post harvest losses;
strengthen fishery institutions, basically staff development, equipment provision and extension training;
infrastructural development (feeder roads, handling facilities etc…);
strengthen (improve) local community participation decision making with regard to development and planning and management for the sector at grass root level.
84. The Technical Consultation reviewed a number of project proposals prepared in the past two years by FAO and ECA. One of these projects emphasized a global and regional approach to fisheries development and management for the two lakes. Other projects focusing on the Zaire side of the lake emphasized:
institutional strengthening for the management of Lake Edward;
the development of semi-industrial fishing on Lake Mobutu; and
the need for coordinated regional research for both lakes.
85. The Technical Consultation noted that these projects reflected an assessment of issues and priorities which were to a large extent in line with the conclusions and recommendations of the visiting groups.
86. The Technical Consultation stressed again the importance of regional collaborating in the area of fisheries management and its full support for the creation of a joint sub-commission for the management of the fisheries of Lake Edward and Lake Mobutu. Noting that the creation of such a sub-commission has been agreed upon in principle by the permanent joint mixed commission between Uganda and Zaire at its last meeting in April 1990, the two delegations agreed that the mandate and functions and procedures of the sub-commission be finalized and agreed upon without delay.
As reflected in the conclusions of the working groups, it was noted that a number of key issues should be tackled at the regional level. These involve four areas which are presented below in order of priority.
Priorities adopted by the committees are as follows:
- Strengthening institutions
87. The needs for strengthening institutions are particularly felt at the level of Lake Edward where the likely over exploitation of resources requires a peculiarly tight management of fisheries.
Generally, the concerned institutions lack the means required in order to assume this role at the follow up level of the exploitation. If a strong and rapid action is not quick undertaken, there is risk of overexploitation of resources and consequently a socio-economic upheaval which will have wide repercussions on the lake reserves.
- Research
88. The needs in research and stock assessment are particularly felt on Lake Mobutu where no study has been systematically been made on it. Consequently, research concerning evaluation of stocks should be considered as a priority in this field.
Beyond this subject other aspects of research will be:
bio-ecological instantly on relationship existing between the lakes and the environment. Such a research is particularly important for Lake Edward;
improving the processing techniques to reduce post harvest losses and to improve the results;
improving the fishery techniques in the framework of the results of stock assessments; and
socio-economic inquiries on bank populations so as to develop local population participation to actions carried out by the project.
- Training
89. Training will be oriented according to the objectives of the projects. It will mainly be done in the Ugandan “Fisheries Training Institute” which is specialised in the field of water biology and statistical fisheries data collection. The Technical Consultation stressed the importance of education to the fishing communities so that the fishermen fully participate in management and law enforcement.
- Statistical data
90. As it was defined earlier this document on collection and analysis of statistical data on fisheries remains one of the basic deciding factors in fisheries management. Exchange of information, and harmonization of collection and analysis of statistical data through common institutions for the management of lakes should be developed within the framework and priorities defined earlier on in this document.
91. There should be developed at the national level a series of actions and projects to go with and reinforce this regional project in the following sectors:
road infrastructure;
banking infrastructures; and
marketing infrastructures.
However, at national level duplicate projects on same subjects may be developed.
