Zomba District Council chairperson Blazio Chinthenga has warned fishers against using mosquito nets to catch fish in Lake Chilwa.

He said this on Saturday in Zomba during a meeting with chiefs, fishers and other stakeholders interested in fishing organised by Government for Solutions (GfS) aimed at strategising mechanisms of stopping the use of mosquito nets in fishing.

Chinthenga said mosquito nets are designed to prevent mosquito bites and not for fishing as they catch all fish, including fish eggs on the shores.

“Mosquito nets catch juvenile fish that could have been caught in future when they grow and sold at attractive prices,” he said.

Some fishers use mosquito nets to catch fish

Group village head Mbalu of Traditional Authority Mwambo, whose village is along the lake, acknowledged that most fishers use mosquito nets in the lake due to ignorance of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy (2016) which seeks to promote sustainable fisheries resource utilisation and aquaculture development in the country.

Mbalu suggested that to reverse the situation, government, fishing communities, security agencies and the Judiciary should work together to fight the malpractice.

“Communities along the lake should be involved in developing solutions,” he said.

GfS chief of party Stephen Snook said mosquito nets are illegal gears as the small mesh catches fingerings, which contributes to the collapse of fish populations in the country.

With support from USaid, GfS is intended to catalyse stakeholders to act together to reduce misuse of mosquito nets in Lake Chilwa.

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