Sikunga Conservancy patrol: fighting illegal fishing on the Zambezi river

Sikunga Conservancy patrol boat makes fast on the bank of a Zambezi river channel and the fish guards bring in an illegal fishing net. The net was strung out in the channel the night before, probably by Zambian fishermen who sell dried fish as far afield as the Congo.
Overlooking the river from the Island View Lodge, Riaan van Niekerk, the lodge owner, says the conservancy fish guards are a real asset.

Back in 2009 when he bought the lodge, the channel – which is a 7 kilometre loop off of the Zambezi river and about 100 metres wide – “was full of nets”. As soon as the sport anglers came in at dusk, the illegal fishers would start putting out nets. Fish stocks were plummeting and fish getting smaller, which was very bad for business.

While van Niekerk was talking about the tourism potential of the river and the island across from the lodge, conservancy manager Steven Muyangwa was visiting the nearby fishing camp, to ask the owner to snap the culprits with his cell phone when they returned to look for their net.

The fish guards often arrest illegal fishermen, although it can be a dangerous business. The guards are not armed and the poachers sometimes carry guns. The conservancy relies upon help from the police and the Ministry of Fisheries to make arrests.

Sport fishing is big business, says van Niekerk. Most of the anglers come from South Africa, with others coming from Germany and Botswana. The attraction is the Tiger Fish found in the Zambezi, a fish as fierce as its name and hard to land.

The lodge provides a mooring for the conservancy boat and helps out with fuel. Two boats were donated to Sikunga Conservancy, one by the MCA and one by the local angling club.