Zimbabwe and Zambia have intensified joint efforts to tackle unsustainable fishing practices on Lake Kariba amid mounting concern over rapidly declining fish stocks.
This renewed push follows a meeting held in Harare on Wednesday between Zimbabwe’s Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, said a Evelyn Ndlovu, and Zambia’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brigadier General (Rtd) Wilson Tembo.
Over the past five years, the two countries have been battling severe overfishing on the shared lake, driven by an influx of fishing vessels now estimated at more than 1,000, double the recommended capacity. Authorities warn that the excessive number of rigs has dramatically reduced yields, a stark contrast from the peak of 30,000 tonnes recorded over two decades ago.
Minister Ndlovu said both governments acknowledged the urgency of addressing overfishing, poaching and the overall pressure on the lake’s ecosystem.
“We agreed, I think the previous Ministers agreed, that we have to meet and discuss the issue of neutralisation of the fish that is in our dam, Kariba,” she said.
“Poaching is the challenge, the overfishing is another challenge, which we have to discuss to make sure that we limit the number of fishing rigs within the lake. There are too many, and if we overfish, we are destroying the source of fish and reducing the population in the lake.”
She emphasised that Lake Kariba remains a vital source of livelihood for communities in both nations.
“This is a livelihood source for our people. They depend on the lake,” she noted.
The two governments are now expected to deliberate on a sustainable and manageable number of operators permitted on each side of the water body.
Ambassador Tembo said the discussions also touched on broader conservation cooperation under the Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (TFCA) initiative involving Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique.
“Some of the issues we discussed were the collaboration between our two sister countries concerning the Trans-Frontier Conservation Area, which is a very important initiative between Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique,” he said.
He added that the meeting also examined rising cases of human-wildlife conflict, particularly involving elephants moving across the shared border.
The engagement signals a coordinated commitment by the two countries to protect Lake Kariba’s fish stocks, strengthen conservation efforts and safeguard the livelihoods that depend on the lake.
