The Bangula Department of Fisheries Office in Nsanje has intensified patrols along the Elephant Marsh to enforce the use of legal fishing gears which will see the catching of the right size of fish.
This will help to conserve smaller ones and eggs for future generation of species.
Assistant Fisheries Officer Foster Kuloweka told ProjectM on Wednesday that the patrols are aimed at enforcing fisheries regulations and ensuring that people are adhering to them.
He also said to check on the use of illegal fishing gears such as mosquito nets, mono filaments (twine).
“Mosquito nets and mono filaments which we normally seize and confiscate,” he said.
Kuloweka revealed that mono filaments fishing gears do not rot easily hence posing threats to the fish.
He observed that mono filaments fishing gears can be covered by soil, but resurface in the next season, thereby continues to catch and kill fish.
On the mosquito nets, the Assistant Fisheries Officer said they are non-selective fishing gears as they leave nothing, but collecting everything it finds on the ground.
“During patrols we encourage the use of the recommended fishing gears which will only catch big fish leaving out the small ones and eggs,” said the officer.
A fisherman at Chisamba dock, Maxwell Sabao said frequent patrols by the department of fisheries is greatly reducing the use of illegal fishing tools.
He said most fishermen were using the illegal fishing gears due to ignorance on the use of the recommended gears.
“The use of the appropriate fishing tools is good as it protects the destruction of eggs and younger fish,” he said.
Sabao has since hailed the Beach Village Committee (BVC) who also checks illegal fishing tools in the area.
