Over 30,000 illegal fishing nets and about 3,000 boats have been confiscated in Lake Kivu over the past three years in the districts of Rubavu, Rutsiro, Karongi, Nyamasheke and Rusizi, The New Times has learnt.

Solange Uwituze, the Deputy Director-General of Animal Research and Technology Transfer at Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) said that 13,449 illegal fishing nets known as ‘ Kaningini” and 1,821 mosquito nets, 1, 252 boats and 232 poachers were confiscated in 2021/22.

The report seen by The New Times shows that last year, a big number of Kaningini illegal fishing nets were in Rutsiro, Karongi and Nyamasheke districts.

A big number of super nets were confiscated in Rutsiro, Nyamasheke and Rubavu districts while illegal fishing boats were found in Rusizi, Nyamasheke and Karongi districts.

The report shows that a large number of poachers were found in Rutsiro district in the same year.

According to Uwituze, 5,667 Kaningini illegal fishing nets and 857 super nets were confiscated in 2020/21 in the five districts.

RAB shows that Rutsiro, Karongi and Nyamasheke districts recorded many illegal fish cases.

In the year of 2019/2020, the report shows that 8, 934 Kaningini illegal fishing nets and 2,022 supernets as well as 1,344 boats were confiscated.

The districts of Rutsiro, Karongi and Nyamasheke still recorded so many cases.

Uwituze said that Kaningini and mosquito fishing nets have an impact on sardine (Isambaza) fish production.

Sardines (Limnothrissa miodon locally known as isambaza) decreased in some units on Lake Kivu which didn’t reduce total fish production in general, she said.

However, figures show that there was a slight increase compared to previous years due to illegal fishing gear.

Fish production on Lake Kivu slightly increased from 18,756 tonnes in 2020/21 to 19,479 tonnes in 2021/22.

In 2020/2021 and 2021/2022, the national production was 41,664 and 43,650 tonnes respectively.

"Fishing efforts increase on an annual basis which affects the catch per unit per day, thus the number of illegal fishing nets affects the legally captured production. What the fishing community and shore lake community need to understand is to abide by the proposed measures to sustain the production,” Uwituze told The New Times recently in September.

She said that Isambaza is recorded to have an average lifetime of two years which explains why protecting the shore lake where the reproduction takes place is very key to protecting the future stock of the ecosystem.

"The policy is to promote the capture of mature isambaza, not larvae or juvenile,” she said.

The government is in preparations to develop the ‘National Strategy for Sustainable Development of Fisheries in Rwanda.’

This is supposed to carry out the impact assessment of the use of illegal fishing equipment in lakes in Rwanda, and propose an effective Fisheries Information and Statistics Development System.

Developing the strategy will also include assessment of alternative fish mongers’ livelihood interventions to reduce fishing pressure, proposing interventions for environmental management and protection of water bodies and fighting the smuggling of substandard fishing equipment.

REMA, police to intensify crackdown

This week, Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), police officers in charge of the environment in the districts bordering Lake Kivu, media, non-governmental organizations working on the environment, fish mongers among others decided to increase inspections to crack down on illegal fishing.

Stéphanie Kamondo, an expert from REMA in charge of biodiversity conservation in Lake Kivu said that sardine fish comprises 70 per cent of fish from Lake Kivu making a case for special conservation of the Lake.

Total fish produced from Lake Kivu amounts to 70 per cent of total fish production in Rwanda.

"The Lake has a stock of fish equivalent to between 4,000 tonnes and 6,000 tonnes and this has not been increasing over the years,” she said.

She said that the increase in fishing and number of fishers on Lake Kivu has affected production per cooperatives but not at national level.

"There is a need for a study to know a limited number of fishing nets that are needed. Illegal fishing has been a threat to Lake Kivu,” she said.

Jean-Bosco Sibomana, the coordinator of Kibuye Fishing Project that collects fish produce in Karongi, Rutsiro and Nyamasheke District said: "In 2020, we would collect and supply 14 tonnes of sardine per month. In 2021 it decreased to 8 tonnes per month. In 2022, we didn’t even collect five tonnes per month,” he said.

Although illegal fishing is among top reasons for the decrease in fish production, Sibomana reiterated that there is need to look for more solutions, for example a study on a number of fishing nets that should be allowed is required