In Bazaruto: new fishermen association under big challenge

The Archipelago claims for a new and urgent fishing revival

Maputo, Mozambique – WWF´s Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) Project in Bazaruto has achieved one of its main goals by helping in the establishment of a new fishermen association in Bazaruto Archipelago: the Bazaruto Archipelago Fishermen Association (APABA). The new association will be the officially known community entity responsible for the good and prosperous management of the scarce marine natural resources remaining in this area.

The new association faces a  big challenge in the restoration of the ecological biodiversity of the area. Specifically, it will deal with one of the most dramatic fisheries crisis ever faced in the archipelago. Contrary to the past, the word “fish”, in all its senses and varieties, seems now to be one of the most missing “resources” for local communities as it has been a long time since anyone experienced a good catch. This crisis has lead to an unstoppable and irrational exploration of the few and juvenile remaining fishing stocks.

Eng. Meneses Roberto, WWF´s CBNRM Bazaruto Project Executant, thinks that, although this association should have come long time ago, it is now very welcome and WWF should congratulate itself for this achievement: “We have created enough capacity for local communities to start to manage, in a sustainable way, the marine resources they have around them" said Mr. Roberto.

When questioned about the first steps of his mandate, the new elected president of the APABA, Mr. Cremildo Zivane, said that:”My first action will be to carry out a consultation with the fishermen, mostly to find out or to confirm what is exactly leading to the scarcity of fish in our archipelago…one of the great reasons for that is the we are not using the appropriate mesh (of nets), and that problem must be resolved amongst us”.

WWF current studies on marine resources management in the area are proving that if serious measures are not taken as soon as possible Bazaruto may fall into one of its deepest fisheries crisis ever seen. According to Lara Muaves, the WWF Marine Biologist carrying out the studies in the area, the best thing to happen to local fishermen is that: “...now they accept the fact that the fish is gone and that´s due to their direct action over marine resources".

Besides the initiative of the creation of a fishermen association, the WWF CBNRM Bazaruto Project is engaged in other alternatives livelihoods which include providing training opportunities for local people in construction, carpentry, bee-keeping and sewing and the establishment of cultural, workmanship and tourist guides groups so that they may sell their services to private tourism operators based in the archipelago.

WWF CBNRM Bazaruto Project comes to an end in December 2008.