Fishermen around Lake Kivu living the dream life out of cage fish farming

A LOT is said about the health benefits associated with eating fish, but a quick analysis of the lifestyle of most Rwandans reveals a non-fish eating tradition. Though various reasons might explain the apparent low level of fish consumption in the country, it is also imperative to note that fish remain an expensive delicacy in most parts of the country.A kilogramme of fish costs about Rwf4,000 on the local market, which is twice the price of red meat.Lack of interest in fish farming among Rwandans also explains why fish remain an expensive, luxurious and high-priced commodity on the local market. It also explains why Rwanda still relies on fish imports from neighbouring countries, especially Uganda and Tanzania. Rwanda imports over 10,000 tonnes of fish annually to meet the national demand, according to officials.Available figures indicate that Rwanda’s fish production stood at about 17,000 tonnes last year, figures that industry watchers argue are still very low in a country struggling to enhance the role of fish farming in food security and to boost the contribution of fisheries to economic growth.The level of per capita fish consumption in Rwanda stands at around 1.5 kilogrammes, which is the lowest in East Africa and far below the sub-saharan Africa and global average estimated at 6.7 and 16.6kg respectively, according to officials.If Rwanda’s population growth continues as projected in the Vision 2020, the country will need 112,000 tonnes of fish to attain the average per capita consumption of 6.6kg/person/year and 265,600 metric tonnes to reach the global average of 16.6, according to the master plan for fisheries and fish farming in Rwanda. The plan, by the Ministry of Agriculture, details strategies to increase fish production and the country‘s fishing potential.Rich in calcium and phosphorus, and a great source of minerals such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium and potassium, fish is a recommended diet.Untapped resourcesOf the country’s 26,338 square kilometre surface, it is estimated that 1,390 is water surface, which gives Rwanda a huge potential for fish farming.The country is endowed with an extensive hydrological system characterised by a dense network of lakes, rivers and wetlands. There are 24 lakes including, three shared lakes namely; Lake Kivu with the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cyohoha and Rweru shared with Burundi. However, despite the enormous natural and socio-economic potential, the aquaculture sector remains underdeveloped with minimal contribution to the national fish harvest.Dr Wilson Rutaganira, the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) aquaculture and fisheries programme coordinator, told The New Times last week that among the advantages for the local fish farming industry include available and abundant water resources and good bio-physical environment, among others.Rwanda’s lakes have favourable temperature for fish farming, Rutaganira said. At 25o Celsius, the water temperature in Lake Kivu, for instance, is considered optimum for Nile tilapia, experts argue.Rutaganira said there are efforts to encourage people to adopt commercial fish farming, which he said, could transform their lives.Enter cage farmingThe fisheries sector employs about 200, 000 people across the country, according to national figures.Rutaganira said new techniques are being devised to help fish farmers increase productivity and thus giving them an opportunity to improve their welfare.One of the new strategies being encouraged throughout the country is cage fish farming, which local fish farmers have baptised ‘Kareremba’. The technique involves cages of varying sizes which are floated on a water body, whether it is a lake, dam, pond or river. The cages contain and protect fish until they can be harvested. With the technique, fish are stocked in cages, artificially fed and harvested when they mature. Farmers harvest the mature fish every six months. Rutaganira said this technology is highly productive and has the potential to transform the fisheries sector from subsistence to commercial fish farming.A pilot study was carried out on Lake Kivu in the western part of the country and proved successful, Rutaganira said.Studies and trials have shown that part of Lake Kivu, which is about 1,000 square kilometres, can produce up to 1,000,000 tonnes of fish using the technology, Rutaganira said.Among other lakes suitable for cage fish farming are Burera and Ruhondo in the Northern Province. Dams and ponds could also suit the technology, according to officials.Cage farming is currently being practiced on lakes Kivu, Burera and Muhazi, according to Rutaganira.In total, over 800 cages are being kept on the lakes for fish production, focusing especially on Tilapia variety, which is the specie of choice for Kareremba farming in the lakes, he said.“With cage farming, we can produce enough for the national demand and even get surplus,” Rutaganira said.“We are targetting fish farming contributing to the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” he added.A Low Density High Volume Cage, whose volume is 8m3, (the most common in the country) can produce up to one tonnes of fish per cage in six months. Farmers speak outCooperative Baraka is one of the groups that have already embraced the cage fish farming technique.Founded in 2004, the cooperative comprises about 50 who seek to promote fish farming in Karongi District, Western Province.At the beginning, the cooperative which brings together former fishermen in Lake Kivu practiced fish farming on a small scale in ponds.Their production was at the time very limited and members struggled to increase it, they said.About a year ago, the cooperative was introduced to cage fish farming which they immediately embraced.“This is a highly productive technique. For the first time, we have managed to get a ton ne of fish per cage,” Daniel Mutemberezi, a member of the cooperative, says.The cooperative maintains about 20 cages in Lake Kivu.“We are now in a position to feed ourselves and meet the growing demand for fish on the local market,” he said. “Our production has been steadily improving ever since we adopted this technique.”