Types of Fish Caught in 4 Major Fishing Areas in Zambia

There are more than 300 types of fish found in different water bodies in Zambia, which are caught for business or home consumption. Some of these are:

• Nile perch (buka buka)
• Tiger fish
• Pike
• Sardines(kapenta)
• Bulldog
• Barbel bream(umulonge)
• Green headed bream (pale)
• Bottle nose(umuntesa)
• Yellow berry bream (insuku)

Types of fish caught in major fishing areas

• From Lake Tanganyika we have sardine and Nile perch
• In lake kariba we have sardines, breams and tiger fish
• Bull dog is common in lake Bangweulu and Zambezi fisheries
• Kafue fisheries ,the chief type of fish caught is bream

Fishing methods Applied in Zambia

There are two types fishing methods and these are:
Small scale and large scale fishing method.

Small scale Fishing

This is the type of fishing done on all the rivers and lakes.
These use traps, baskets, hooks and lines to catch fish for home consumption only.
They also use dugout canoes and lamps to attract fish at night

Some use Fish Baskets

Also, Hooks and lines are commonly used by small scale fishers

Commercial fishing

o These are done by large-scale fishermen who catch fish mainly for sale. o The three main types of nets are used namely: Gill nets, Seine or draw nets and hand nets

Hand nets

• These are scoop nets attached to a round or oval frame of wood used to catch Kapenta. Kit is locally called Lusenga, especially on Lake Tanganyika and also called Matope on Lake Mweru.
• Commercial fishermen also use motor powered boats e.g. gill net skiff pulled by boats.

Processing of fish

•It is the treatment which is done to fish before it is consumed by man and the methods used are

a)Frozen
b)Canned is when fish is cooked and some chemicals are applied to it so that it does not go bad and then it is put in tins
c)Smoked is when fish is dried using smoke coming from undry fire wood
d)Salted is when salt is applied to fish and then it is either sun dried or smoked
e)Sun dried is when fish is dried using sun shine is the method they use to dry the smallest type of fish like kapenta

Marketing of fish

•fresh and frozen fish is transported to the market by refrigerated vans to copper belt, Lusaka and other urban areas where demand is high
•major fishing companies have established retail outlets in Lusaka and copper belt
•establishment of cold rooms e.g. mpulungu, Kashikishi and Kariba

Problems affecting fishing industry

•Long distances to the market especially lake Tanganyika and lake Mweru wantipa
•poor transport especially in the rain season
•lack of storage facilities
•modern fishermen lack modern skills of fishing
•lack of capital to buy fishing equipment

Government efforts to promote fishing

•Building of a fishing training school in sinazongwe
•Building of ice plants in mpulungu and kashikishi
•Discourage people from doing over fishing
•Establishment of a net and boat making factory in Kafue
•Improvement of roads
•Introduction of fish bans to allow fish to breed
•Provision of loans for fish farming(keeping of fish)

The fisheries department

• It has its headquarters in Chilanga, Lusaka.
• It makes regulations to control and improve fishing industry.
• It enforces fishing regulations and provides facilities to train local people and improve their fishing methods.
• Also organizes fish farming programmes for fishermen.
• It teaches the people the importance of fish conservation.