Developing community-based management of fishery resources in small water bodies

Community-based management of fisheries resources at Mwenje dam (in Mazowe district, 80km north of Harare in Zimbabwe), was initiated as part of ALCOM's action programme on the utilization of small water bodies. The overall objective was to develop techniques for fisheries management and fish production in small water bodies that will benefit local communities through more food and higher incomes. The January 1993 Technical Consultation on the Enhancement of Small Water Body Fisheries in Souther n Africa, organized by ALCOM, revealed that introducing techniques for fisheries management and fish production depended on controlling access to reservoirs and controlling the fishing methods in the fishery. Establishment of community-based institutions that can effectively control both access and fishing methods was seen as the first step. This document describes the process of assessment of community interest and commitment as well as the establishment of community-based institutions, such as a dam committee, that can manage fisheries resources in Mwenje dam. Assistance was given to the community to implement management. The state of the fishery was assessed through test fishing using traditional gears as well as the Drottningholm method. Committee members were trained in the biology of fish in their reservoir and the impact of fishing gear on the fishery performance. The work proved more time - consuming on ALCOM's part than expected, mainly because creating awareness and get ting the Dam Committee established took time, and it took two years for the District Council to get appropriate authority for the dam. The Dam Community introduced a licensing system to control access to the reservoir in order to reduce fish poaching and to control the type of fishing gear used in the dam. Fish wardens paid by the community enforced the licensing system. Problems have cropped up in law enforcement, but the committee is confident that these can be solved.