The natural history and fisheries ecology of Lake Chilwa, southern Malawi

Njaya, Friday; Snyder, Katherine A.; Jamu, Daniel; Wilson, J. G.; Howard‐Williams, Clive; Allison, Edward H.; Andrew, Neil L.

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2010.09.008

Cited by 46 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The African catfish in Lake Wamala presents a fishery which is more resilient to droughts with better capacity for resurgence during floods. Similar observations have been reported on Lake Chilwa where the populations of the African catfish, compared to those of species closely related to Nile tilapia such as Oreochromis shiranus chilwae Trewavas were shown to decline less severely and later during lake drying phases and to recover earlier during refilling (Furse et al 1979;Njaya et al 2011). Secondly, the condition of the African catfish has been shown to be less affected by severe climatic conditions, with its individual average weight in commercial catches in Lake Wamala ranging from 1.2 to 4.3 kg compared to 0.3-0.7 kg for individual Nile tilapia which is affected more severely by climatic changes NaFIRRI un published report;Okaronon 1993).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…For example, the number of fish species in Lake Chad decreased from 40 to 15 between 1971 and 1977 following a drought (Leveque 1995). Fish yield in Lake Chilwa decreased to zero in 1996 following desiccation of the lake (Allison et al 2007;Njaya et al 2011). The yield of Limnothrissa miodon Boulenger in Lake Kariba decreased at an average of 24 metric tons per year between 1974 and 2003, associated with changes in rainfall and water levels (Ndebele-Murisa et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On Lake Chilwa, some fishers diversified to farming and pastoralism, while others migrated in response to the decrease in fish catches (Allison et al 2007;Njaya et al 2011). On lakes Victoria, Kyoga and Albert, fishers shifted from gillnets to mosquito seine nets with increases in catches of the small fish species (Ogutu-Ohwayo et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Fishers’ perceptions of climate change, impacts on their livelihoods and adaptation strategies in environmental change hotspots: a case of Lake Wamala, Uganda

Musinguzi

Efitre

Odongkara

et al. 2015

Environ Dev Sustain

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Fisheries resources support livelihoods of fishing communities but are threatened by over-exploitation, habitat degradation, pollution, invasive species and climate change. Unlike the other threats, climate change has received limited consideration and reducing its risks requires appropriate adaptation strategies. This study used quantitative and qualitative methods to generate knowledge on fishers' perceptions of climate change, changes in climate variables and their impacts on livelihoods, adaptation strategies, constraints to adaptation and required interventions to promote adaptation strategies that would enable fishers to build resilience to sustain their livelihoods. We found that fishers were aware of changes in climate conditions manifested by unpredictable seasons, floods and droughts. Fishing remained the main livelihood activity. However, the dominance of fishes had changed from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) to the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus Burchell). Floods and droughts were associated with damage to gears, boats, landing sites and changes in fish catches and sizes, income from fishing and fish consumption. The fishers adapted by increasing time on fishing grounds and changing target species and fishing gear among other things. Some innovative fishers diversified to high-value crops and livestock. This increased their income beyond what was solely earned from fishing which provided an incentive for some of them to quit fishing. Livelihood diversification was enhanced by use of communications technology, membership of social groups, increasing fishing days and fishing experience. Adaptation was, however, constrained by limited credit, awareness and access to land, which require interventions such as improving access to credit, irrigation facilities, appropriate planting materials and awareness raising. We identified adaptation strategies, which if promoted and their constraints addressed, could increase resilience of fishers to the influence of climate change and sustain their livelihoods.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fishers’ perceptions of climate change, impacts on their livelihoods and adaptation strategies in environmental change hotspots: a case of Lake Wamala, Uganda

Musinguzi

Efitre

Odongkara

et al. 2015

Environ Dev Sustain

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As such, productivity of the lake ecosystems has been highly variable resulting in unstable incomes for riparian communities, thereby increasing vulnerability. For example, fish production in Lake Chad declined from 120 000 tonnes in the 1970s to 60 000-70 000 tonnes to date and Lake Chilwa fish production has declined from an average of 15 000 tonnes per year to 5000 tonnes per year for the same period [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Riparian ecosystem resilience and livelihood strategies under test: lessons from Lake Chilwa in Malawi and other lakes in Africa

Kafumbata

Jamu²,

Chiotha

2014

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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This paper reviews the importance of African lakes and their management challenges. African inland lakes contribute significantly to food security, livelihoods and national economies through direct exploitation of fisheries, water resources for irrigation and hydropower generation. Because of these key contributions, the ecosystem services provided are under significant stress mainly owing to high demand by increasing populations, negative anthropogenic impacts on lake catchments and high levels of poverty which result in unsustainable use. Climate variability exacerbates the stress on these ecosystems. Current research findings show that the lakes cannot sustain further development activities on the scale seen over the past few decades. Millions of people are at risk of losing livelihoods through impacts on livestock and wildlife. The review further shows that the problems facing these lakes are beyond the purview of current management practices. A much better understanding of the interactions and feedbacks between different components of the lake socio-ecological systems is needed to address the complex challenges of managing these ecosystem services. This review suggests that the three small wetlands of Chad, Chilwa and Naivasha provide an opportunity for testing novel ideas that integrate sustainability of natural resource management with livelihoods in order to inform policy on how future land use and climatic variability will affect both food security and the ecosystem services associated with it.

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“…Lake Chilwa lies in southeastern Malawi, spanning the border with Mozambique. A shallow, enclosed lake with a surrounding reed belt and a seasonally flooded plain, it is one of Africa's most productive lake fisheries (Njaya et al 2011). The basin provides fertile land for over 1.6 million people in Malawi growing mostly rice in the wetlands and maize in upland areas.…”

Section: Navigating Intersectoral Competition In the Lake Chilwa Basimentioning

confidence: 99%

Governance of Aquatic Agricultural Systems: Analyzing Representation, Power, and Accountability

Ratner¹,

Cohen²,

Barman³

et al. 2013

E&S

Self Cite

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ABSTRACT. Aquatic agricultural systems in developing countries face increasing competition from multiple stakeholders over rights to access and use natural resources, land, water, wetlands, and fisheries, essential to rural livelihoods. A key implication is the need to strengthen governance to enable equitable decision making amidst competition that spans sectors and scales, building capacities for resilience, and for transformations in institutions that perpetuate poverty. In this paper we provide a simple framework to analyze the governance context for aquatic agricultural system development focused on three dimensions: stakeholder representation, distribution of power, and mechanisms of accountability. Case studies from Cambodia, Bangladesh, Malawi/Mozambique, and Solomon Islands illustrate the application of these concepts to fisheries and aquaculture livelihoods in the broader context of intersectoral and cross-scale governance interactions. Comparing these cases, we demonstrate how assessing governance dimensions yields practical insights into opportunities for transforming the institutions that constrain resilience in local livelihoods.

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The natural history and fisheries ecology of Lake Chilwa, southern Malawi

Cited by 46 publications

References 21 publications

Fishers’ perceptions of climate change, impacts on their livelihoods and adaptation strategies in environmental change hotspots: a case of Lake Wamala, Uganda

Fishers’ perceptions of climate change, impacts on their livelihoods and adaptation strategies in environmental change hotspots: a case of Lake Wamala, Uganda

Riparian ecosystem resilience and livelihood strategies under test: lessons from Lake Chilwa in Malawi and other lakes in Africa

Governance of Aquatic Agricultural Systems: Analyzing Representation, Power, and Accountability

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