Securing the catch in Nega Nega amid COVID-19

DOREEN NAWA
Mazabuka
FISHING activities are at their peak in Nega Nega in Mazabuka district, but the gains are getting lower because of COVID-19.
Fishing in this area is considered to be essential by not only the community in Nega Nega, but their usual markets, restaurants in Kafue, Mazabuka and the capital city, Lusaka.
Even with COVID-19, there is still some belief among fishing communities in the area that there is a silver lining to this crisis.
As coronavirus threatens the population’s livelihoods, small-scale fisheries in Nega Nega are working out ways to stay safe while maintaining their livelihoods.
They have taken steps to ensure that all actors respect safety measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, such as washing hands with water and soap and hand sanitiser and observing social distancing among canoe crews.
“Those going deep in the river carried more than five to seven men, but right now we have reduced that number to two or three men if the river is raging. We reduced the number because of the health guidelines we got from the district authorities in Mazabuka and Kafue. We know that Kafue is an epicentre,” says Teddy Shalubala, the fishing community chairperson.
Besides ensuring social distancing, small-scale fishermen are also redirecting the sales of their catch.
They have gone from selling immediately after landing the catch to packing first and selling the catch at a less populated spot.
“We used to have people come here with their refrigeration facilities for stock-piling, but now that is not the case. Fishing communities are applying measures such as social distancing and regular hand washing to fight against the spread of the virus. We know we are not an exception. Even here we can have COVID-19, so we prefer to prevent it,” Mr Shalubala says.
It is not only the leaders that are supportive of these preventive measures. Fishermen, too, have a buy-in.
A fisherman, Charles Kaliyangile, says the system aims at avoiding crowding in landing sites.
“We came up with this system before the virus outbreak in our area. We know that we have customers that come from Kafue and Lusaka. Our initial thought was to ensure orderliness among ourselves, which should spill over to anyone who visits this area,” says Mr Kaliyangile.
Fish sellers, on the other hand, have made washing of hands mandatory.
“We have found hand sanitiser to be extremely expensive for us. We have made it a must that we carry a bar of soap for washing hands. Anyone who comes to buy fish is asked to wash his or her hands first. And the adherence is amazing, but we still have some people who do not religiously follow the preventive measures,” says Precious Phiri, a fishmonger.
Although the fishing community in Nega Nega is following safety and sanitary measures amid COVID-19, they question some measures like masking up, saying they are “too extreme” and are threatening their livelihoods.

“No one has ever had to deal with anything like this [masking up] before. We comfort ourselves to a certain degree, that where we live, in a more sparsely populated area, the disease may not arrive in the same way. Wearing masks is for areas that are highly populated,” says Mrs Phiri.
To date, wearing of masks is optional in these areas, while those who wear masks are looked at as the ‘rich’ in their communities.
“The price is also what keeps the masks inaccessible. Buying a mask for K10 to K15 is beyond the reach of many here. It is better to buy soap for K10 which everyone can use. But for the mask, it’s only for one person,” Lucia Loongo adds.
Mr Cephas Loongo, owner of two canoes, has seen unprecedented low catches for the past weeks, a situation he links to social distancing requirements.    
“The reduction of manpower because of social distancing has made business bad. We hardly bring a full net from the river. The work we do requires a good number of manpower. Two to three men are not enough to shoot nets, withdraw the net and offload it. I know that it is a law for our own safety, but when we cannot get something for our family it becomes a serious problem,” Mr Loongo says.
In normal conditions, the withdrawal of nets requires seven men for middle-size canoes and at least 12 for large canoes.
Access to local fish for women fishmongers is harder every day, as prices are doubling due to low catches compounded by lack of manpower following the restrictions.
Normally, during this time every year fishing activities are on their peak and fishermen cash in over K5,000 every week.
Fishmongers, mostly women, usually buy in bulk for resale in Mazabuka and Kafue, but the reduction of catches has sparked inflation in prices.

“I am buying the hand-size tilapia bundle of 10 pieces at K130 now. Before, I was buying at K100. Add my transport cost to this, I pay K90 on public transport to come here every day,” says Sarah Hamachila, a fishmonger.
“I have been here since this morning. I have not bought any fish. The boys are not bringing enough fish from the waters, and what is even worse is that some of our friends have pre-paid for the catch. So people like me who are not yet customers to any of these fishermen are suffering. I am giving myself up to tomorrow evening, and then I will leave this place,” she says.
The fisheries sector in this area employs an estimated 10,000 throughout the value chain, which includes the Kafue wetlands in Naluama and Nega Nega area in Kafue and Mazabuka districts.