Mangochi district is is one of Malawi's most developed districts with a vibrant fishing industry. Community representatives in Mangochi, who include chiefs, headmen and Beach Village Committee members who are responsible for promoting fish conservation, approached the government five years ago asking for help to save the fish population. It was pleasing to note that through working together with the communities, they became very proactive and even proposed that the off-season should start in October because they observed that most fish caught then already had eggs and this interfered with their breeding. The Fisheries' Department has managed to improve the standard of Management, using extension officers to train fishing communities on the lakes and old regulations have been replaced with tougher ones. We are used to eating fish and the decline in catches made us fully appreciate the need to work with the government to build fish stocks in Malombe.
Residents say their catches are gradually increasing.
The umbrella body was formed to make natural resource management a community responsibility after a sharp decline in fish stocks in Africa's third largest lake, Lake Malawi. We educate people who go on Lake Malawi that they need to have a fishing licence, they should not over-fish or catch juvenile fish. Fish poachers are brought before Beach Village Committees, headmen and chiefs who make them pay fines. The Fisheries Department helps them enforce the regulations by confiscating fishing equipment from those who refuse to pay. Fish benefit the Mangochi fishing communities through barter trade for maize and rice.