A combined team of officers from Siavonga Town Council, The Zambia Police, department of Fisheries, Representatives from the Kapenta Association on Tuesday this week visited two Local Fish Companies Zamfresh and Yalelo to find solutions on how best to end the conflicts on fishing boundaries in Lake Kariba between the fishing companies and the Kapenta rig operators.
Council Chairperson Given Kwapu led the team to Zamfresh and later went into the water to see and appreciate where the fishing ground or boundary for Zamfresh are located before proceeding to Yalelo.
Mr Kwapu told Zamfresh Operations Director a Mr Yan through his interpretor George Gondwe that his team had visited the company upon receiving reports of conflicts between Zamfresh and the Kapenta rig operators over the boundaries which has resulted in alot of fishermen being arrested for alleged theft and trespassing.
The Council Chairperson disclosed the Kapenta rig operators had expressed concerns that Zamfresh had set up fish cages behind the Jeremiah Island and other grounds making it difficult for them to fish which in turn results in conflicts.
Mr Kwapu said the Local Authority were not there to favor criminality but were there to come up with a solution and that would only be done by going on the water so that the team would see and appreciate where the boundaries for Zamfresh starts and ends so that the conflicts they are having with the Kapenta Association could be avoided and by best means try to protect investment and see to it that both players involved are happy and have an equal share of the water bodies .
He has since called upon both parties to work together as this will help them to fight theft issues that have been happening on the fishing grounds.
Fisheries Assistant Miyanda Maiba disclosed that according to the Environmental Impact Assessment Report, Zamfresh where only allocated a portion (ground) behind the island for their fishing farming and the other portion which they are currently using was only used for trials to see whether their fish cages they had set up would stand the winds from the other side.
Mr Maiba further disclosed that the coodinates or marks were well documented and the allocation was made during the stakeholders meeting.
Kapenta Association representative Constantino Dilaiva said the rig operators have been left with no fishing ground because the fishing companies had dominated place where they conducted a good fish farming because every time they go near that place they would be chased and arrested for criminal trespassing.
Mr Dilaiva appealed to Zamfresh to immediately stop farming from the deep waters but instead go to shallow waters.
But in response Zamfresh Director Mr Yan said his company had put up fish cages behind the island because that’s the best place for fish farming and that they cannot conduct the fishing activities from the shallow waters.
However, he said Zamfresh was ready to cooperate once a final decision has been made for the best interest of both parties involved.
Meanwhile Kariba Ward Councilor Phallen Kachelo appealed to the police to stop arresting people for trespassing until an amicable but Siavonga Police Officer-in-Charge Ndakala Lesa said the fish operators should advise their people not cross over their boundaries because any individual who will be found in the act of theft and criminal trespass will be arrested.
In concluding the meeting, Mr Kwapu stated that there was need to bring on board ZEMA so that they could help with boundaries