The Technical Consultation on the Enhancement of Small Water Body Fisheries in Southern Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe, 25–29 January 1993, emphasized the importance of small water bodies for food production and income generation in rural areas.
In southern and eastern Africa, the number of small water bodies (SWBs) is estimated at between 50,000 and 100,000 (Dadzie, 1992 in Lindqvist, 1993). Although their fisheries and aquaculture potential has not been documented, it is estimated that the fish production potential of SWBs in sub-Saharan Africa is roughly 3 million tons of fish annually. This exceeds the current annual fish production (1 870 000 tons/yr, FAO statistic 1989) of all other African inland fisheries (rivers, lakes and large reservoirs) combined (Haight, 1994).
Fisheries management in SWBs has received little attention to date for a number of reasons. Most SWBs in the SADC countries are generally rather young man-made reservoirs built for purposes other than fisheries. SWBs are scattered throughout the countries and are usually located in rural areas difficult to access. Further, the total fish yield and revenue per SWB are known to be low, and Government efforts have concentrated on the major marine or inland fisheries (Haight, 1993).
The fisheries potential of SWBs is understood and acknowledged. But exploiting the SWBs means overcoming the risks that fish production entails. In Southern Africa, the highly variable precipitation and the high evaporation rate result in low annual water yields. Besides, the market for fish is poorly developed; in some areas and under certain conditions, fish consumption is low. Lastly, new reservoirs may pose new health problems (Lindqvist, 1993).
In Lesotho, ALCOM was invited to assist the Fisheries Section of the Ministry of Agriculture to assess the small reservoir resource in the country and identify methods and management techniques to enhance fish production. To this end, the project “Utilization of Small Water Bodies, Lesotho” was initiated in 1992, as described in Chapter 3 of this report.
This report documents specific field activities of the project in lowland reservoirs: reservoir classification; a method to assess fish stocks; fishing gear and improved techniques; fishing activities and socio-economic profile of local communities living around selected SWBs. Finally, practical management alternatives are proposed to improve fish culture.
The physical appraisal of small water bodies in Lesotho is the subject of an earlier report (Tilquin & Maseatile, 1994).
