Anger over Zambezi bream prices

SOME Katima Mulilo residents are concerned by the high price of Zambezi bream since the closure of the fishing season early in the year.

Current prices apparently range upwards from N$50.

The Zambezi bream is part of the staple diet of most of the people of the Zambezi region.

The Namibian spoke to Katima resident Joost Kamwi yesterday, who said the prices were simply too high.

“The Zambezi bream is part of our livelihood, but they are making it very difficult for us to buy it because of the price. We have been waiting for about three months after the closure of the season, but now we cannot afford it. That is really unfair, but we just buy because we have no choice.”

Maria Mutabelezi also expressed concern over the high prices, saying that she has a big family, and it was very difficult to feed them because the fish had become too expensive.

“These days, you are paying N$60-100 for decent fish. I simply cannot afford that as my family is very big. I cannot feed them with one fish. These days, I buy meat instead of fish,” she said.

Brenda Mutuli, a fresh fish vendor at the Katima Mulilo open market, said there were no big fish sizes left in the Zambezi River on the Namibian side.

“We travel as far as Livingstone in Zambia to buy fish. These fish farmers are very expensive, but we still buy regardless. We have to make profit, and that is why the prices are high. We have to consider travelling costs as well. We buy 3kg of big fish for 750 kwacha, which means it’s N$1 000 in our currency.”

Mutuli said she had hoped the floods would bring a lot of fish.

De Wet Siluka, the fisheries ministry’s public relations officer, said the fish in the Zambezi were not depleted.

“During floods like these, there are only small fish on the surface. Therefore, some fish vendors catch these since the big ones will be in the deep waters.

“We are, however, aware that the fish stock in the Zambezi region has been reduced, and the ministry has come up with measures to allow the fish to breed. It is, nonetheless, still a challenge for the ministry because of illegal fishing taking place during the closed season,” he noted.

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