THE OKAVANGO DELTA FISHERIES - ACP Fish II - Welcome

82 Pages·2011·1 MB·English

ACP Fish II Coordination Unit Service Contract n° CU/PE1/MZ/10/004

Support for Devising of the Aquaculture Development
Strategy for Botswana
and the development of outlines for the
Fisheries Management Plan of the Okavango Delta

THE OKAVANGO DELTA FISHERIES

MANAGEMENT PLAN REPORT
draft

REPORT PREPARED BY: DR. THOMAS ASHLEY SHIPTON
INLAND FISHERIES EXPERT SOGES SPA

APRIL 2011
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FISHERIES ASSESSMENT REPORT
Support for Devising of the Aquaculture Development Strategy for Botswana and the development of outlines for the
Fisheries Management Plan of the Okavango Delta

Table of Contents

Abbreviations and Acronyms ........................................................... 4
Executive summary .......................................................................... 5
Part 1: Diagnostic Analysis .............................................................. 8
1 Introduction ................................................................................ 8
1.1 The Okavango Delta ................................................................................ 8
1.2 Characterisation of the fish stocks ............................................................ 9
2 Synoptic review of the fisheries ................................................ 13
2.1 The commercial fishery .......................................................................... 13
2.2 The artisanal fishery ............................................................................... 14
2.3 The recreational fishery .......................................................................... 18
3 Current status of the resources ................................................ 19
3.1 Fishing pressure and effort ..................................................................... 19
3.2 Catch rates ............................................................................................. 21
4 Diagnostic analysis .................................................................. 23
4.1 Legislative Framework........................................................................... 23
4.1.1 The Fish Protection Act (Act 42 of 1975) ................................................. 24
4.1.2 The Fish Protection Regulations (2008) ................................................... 24
4.1.3 Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) Policy ..... 25
4.1.4 The Draft Wildlife Policy ........................................................................... 25
4.1.5 Code of Conduct for responsible fishing in the Okavango Delta .............. 25
4.1.6 Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP, 2008) ................................. 26
4.2 Institutional Framework .......................................................................... 28
4.2.1 National Institutions ................................................................................. 28
4.2.1.1 Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) ................................ 28
4.2.1.2 Staff deployment ...................................................................................... 28
4.2.1.3 Compliance operations ............................................................................ 29
4.2.1.4 Fisheries monitoring ............................................................................... 29
4.2.1.5 Other DWNP Agencies ............................................................................ 31
4.2.2 Local Institutions in the Delta ................................................................... 32
4.2.2.1 The Okavango Research Institute, the University of Botswana ............... 32
4.2.2.2 Okavango Fisheries Management Committee (OFMC) ........................... 32
4.2.2.3 Okavango Fisheries Association (OFA) ................................................... 32
4.2.2.4 Fisher associations and trusts ................................................................. 33
4.2.2.5 Artisanal fishers ....................................................................................... 33
4.2.3 International institutions / Trans-boundary initiatives ................................ 34
4.2.3.1 The Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) .................... 34
4.2.3.2 Kamutjonga Inland Fisheries Institute (KIFI), Namibia ............................. 35
4.3 Additional Management Issues ............................................................... 37
4.3.1 The closed season .................................................................................. 37
4.3.2 The gillnet mesh regulations ................................................................... 37
4.3.3 Effort limitation ........................................................................................ 38
4.3.4 Mosquito nets .......................................................................................... 38
4.3.5 Fishing zones .......................................................................................... 39
4.3.6 Product quality and market access .......................................................... 40
Part II - The Management Plan ...................................................... 43
5 Introduction .............................................................................. 43
5.1 Management objectives and guiding principles ...................................... 43
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SOGES
FISHERIES ASSESSMENT REPORT
Support for Devising of the Aquaculture Development Strategy for Botswana and the development of outlines for the
Fisheries Management Plan of the Okavango Delta

5.2 Key issues and strategic actions ............................................................ 45
5.2.1 Institutional Issues ................................................................................... 47
5.2.1.1 Institutional Strengthening ....................................................................... 47
5.2.1.2 Regulatory and planning framework ........................................................ 49
5.2.1.3 Communication, education and public awareness ................................... 50
5.2.2 Bio-physical Issues .................................................................................. 51
5.2.2.1 Natural resource conservation ................................................................. 51
5.2.3 Socio-economic Issues ............................................................................ 52
5.2.3.1 Sustainable use of natural resources ....................................................... 52
5.2.3.2 Livelihoods improvements ....................................................................... 52
5.3 Immediate Interventions ......................................................................... 53
6 References .............................................................................. 55
7 Appendix 1 ............................................................................... 58
Shakawe Stakeholder Workshop ............................................................................. 58
Maun Stakeholder Workshop .................................................................................. 67
8 Appendix 2 ............................................................................... 74
List of Workshop Delegates: Shakawe .................................................................... 74
List of Workshop Delegates: Maun .......................................................................... 77

List of tables, figures and photographs

Table 1: Total number and percentage of gillnets by mesh size .................................. 20
Table 2: Total number of boats and percentage by boat type ...................................... 21
Table 3. Management objectives ................................................................................ 44
Table 4. Key Issues and Strategic Actions .................................................................. 46

Figure 1: The Okavango delta in Botswana ................................................................ 10
Figure 2: Seasonal catch rates - CPUE expressed as number of fish caught per set
and annual discharge.................................................................................................. 11
Figure 3: Variations in species diversity as a function of the seasonal flood pulse in the
Okavango Delta where letters a – e illustrate months grouped together on the basis of
similarity analysis ........................................................................................................ 12
Figure 4: Intra annual variations in catch composition (Mosepele, in press) ................ 12
Figure 5: The main target species that are caught in the Commercial gillnet fishery –
Index of Relative importance (IRI) ............................................................................... 14
Figure 6: The main target species that are caught in the artisanal fishery – all fishing
gears .......................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 7: The main target species that are caught in the artisanal fishery – Basket
fishers ......................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 8: The main target species that are caught in the artisanal fishery – hook and
line fishers .................................................................................................................. 17
Figure 9: The main target species that are caught in the artisanal fishery – mosquito
net fishers ................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 10: The main target species that are caught in the recreational fishery. ........... 18
Figure 11: Temporal variations in catch rates (no/ set) of fishers catches from the
Okavango Delta fishery based on daily catch and effort data 1998-2005 .................... 22
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SOGES
FISHERIES ASSESSMENT REPORT
Support for Devising of the Aquaculture Development Strategy for Botswana and the development of outlines for the
Fisheries Management Plan of the Okavango Delta

Figure 12: CPUE in the gillnet fishery 1996-2002 ........................................................ 22

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SOGES
FISHERIES ASSESSMENT REPORT
Support for Devising of the Aquaculture Development Strategy for Botswana and the development of outlines for the
Fisheries Management Plan of the Okavango Delta

Abbreviations and Acronyms

ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States
CBNRM Community Based Natural Resource Management
CBO Community Based Organisations
CEDA Citizen Enterprise Development Agency
CHAs Controlled Hunting Areas
CPUE Catch Per Unit Effort
CU Coordination Unit
DWNP Department of Wildlife and National Parks
EIA Environmental Impact Assessment
EU European Union
EUS Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome
FA Fisheries Authority
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation
FAP Financial Assistance Policy
FMPOD Fishery Management Plan for the Okavango Delta
FRD Food Resources Department
GEF Global Environment Facility
KIFI Kamutjonga Inland Fisheries Institute
LEA Local Enterprise Authority
MCS Monitoring Control and Surveillance
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
NAPs National Actions Plans
NGO Non Government Organisation
OBSC Okavango River Basin Steering Committee
ODMP Okavango Delta Management Plan
OKACOM Okavango River Basin Commission
OFA Okavango Fishers Association
OFMC Okavango Fisheries Management Committee
ORC Okavango Research Centre
ORI Okavango Research Institute
SADC Southern African Development Community
SAPs Strategic Action Plans
SAREP Southern African Regional Environmental Programme
TDA Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis
TLA Tawana Land Board
UNDP United Nations Development Program
WMAs Wildlife Management Areas

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SOGES
FISHERIES ASSESSMENT REPORT
Support for Devising of the Aquaculture Development Strategy for Botswana and the development of outlines for the
Fisheries Management Plan of the Okavango Delta

Executive summary

This report has been developed in response to the ACP FISH II Programme‟s
requirement to support the development of a Fisheries Management Plan for the
Okavango Delta. The report is divided into two sections. The first section provides an
assessment of the status and potential of the Okavango fishery, evaluating the
effectiveness of current policy and legal and management instruments, and provides
a diagnostic analysis of the issues impacting fisheries management in the Delta. The
second section comprises the guidelines for the management plan. A management
vision and goal is presented, as are the management objectives and guiding
principles for the management of the fishery. An indication of key issues and
strategic actions that need to be addressed in the management of the Okavango
Delta Fisheries is provided.

The Okavango fishery is characterised as a multi-species fishery that is exploited by
five principal fishing methods, viz., hook and line, gillnet fishermen, baskets, spears
and traps. The resource is exploited by three principal fisher groups, the artisanal or
subsistence fishers, the commercial, and the recreational fishers. Comparisons
between the 1997 and 2005 frame surveys suggest that overall the number of fishers
in the Delta has decreased; however, there appear to have been some structural
changes to the commercial fishery in terms of an increase in motorised vessels, a
reduction in the number of gillnets and a slight reduction in the size of the gillnets
used. CPUE data suggests that there has been no significant change in fish
abundance over time. Furthermore there have been no significant changes in
species diversity, in the mean length of the key commercial species, or the species
composition in the fish community of the Delta‟s Panhandle, suggesting that the
resource is in a healthy condition, and that the current fishing regime is not adversely
affecting the stock status.

The country has developed an impressive array of legislative, policy and regulatory
tools with which it can manage the Nation‟s natural resources. While the Fish
Protection Act of 1975 is now outdated and will likely be replaced with provisions
included in the new Wildlife Act, the country does not currently have a Fisheries
Policy. A Fisheries Policy that outlines the biological, economic and social objectives
for the country‟s fish resources represents a fundamental component of the
legislative framework. It is essential that a policy is formulated to guide the future
development of regulations, governance structures and management planning
processes. Notwithstanding the absence of a fisheries policy, the country has
developed a comprehensive set of other policies that can be applied to fisheries
development. Principally these include the draft Wildlife Policy, which comprises fish
and fisheries as part of “wildlife” and Botswana‟s well developed CBNRM policies.
Amongst other issues, these policies provide the framework for an ecosystems
approach to resource management, co-management and the devolution of
governance responsibilities to the communities, the promotion of CBNRM
management systems and the inclusion of the private sector in the sustainable
management of the country‟s natural resources. These policy objectives, while not
explicitly focusing on fisheries, provide a suitable framework within which to move
away from the traditional top-down, regulatory approach to fisheries management, to
a more socially relevant and equitable fisheries management paradigm based on the
principles of co-management. In this regard, the development of the stakeholder-
driven fisheries code of conduct that has been adopted by the various fisher groups
is an encouraging development and importantly provides the basis for further
developing cooperative fisheries management in the Delta.
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SOGES
FISHERIES ASSESSMENT REPORT
Support for Devising of the Aquaculture Development Strategy for Botswana and the development of outlines for the
Fisheries Management Plan of the Okavango Delta

The Fisheries Division in the DWNP is relatively under resourced in terms of the
number of personnel that are employed. The primary tasks that are undertaken by
the departmental personnel include the permitting of fishers, compliance, collecting
and collating catch and effort data from the commercial fishers, experimental
surveys, fisheries survey work and extension work. The division is responsible for all
levels of fisheries management in the Delta, and receives little assistance from other
Divisions within the DWNP such as the Research and Compliance Divisions.
Considerable financial and human resources are currently allocated to the monthly
research surveys that are not informing management per se, and the rationale for
their continuation needs to be assessed in terms of optimising resource allocation
within the Division. Staff training is clearly an issue, and while some of the staff at the
regional offices have degrees in the biological sciences, there are currently no
trained fisheries scientists stationed in the Delta. Staff training at all levels in fisheries
management and extension would greatly increase the efficacy of the organisation. It
is evident that the Division operates under some financial constraints which limit its
ability to carry out its mandate. Most notably the lack of suitable transport to operate
effective compliance operations appears to be an issue. In this regard, the potential
to develop linkages with NGOs, the Okavango Research Centre and other
government departments to assist in compliance and community / fisheries related
issues could be considered.

The local institutions provide representation for all stakeholders in the fishery. While
the Okavango Fisheries Management Committee (OFMC) provides a suitable forum
for government agencies to interact with the fisher community, the Okavango
Fishermans Association (OFA) provides a forum for all fisher stakeholders to discuss
their issues and resolve conflicts, and it provides a formal representative vehicle with
which fishers can present their issues to government agencies. To date the
association has primarily focused on resolving conflicts between the commercial
gillnet and recreational fishers. While representation in the OFA is open to all fisher
groups, the artisanal fishers are not well represented. Improving the representation of
the artisanal fishers in the OFA or developing a new organisation to represent their
interests would significantly empower this group to become more involved in fisheries
management processes in the Delta. In recent years the OFA has been financially
supported and mentored by the Biokavango project. In terms of the sustainability of
the OFA, the closure of this programme is premature, and the organisation is likely to
require additional financial and mentorship assistance in the future. The OFA
represents the primary vehicle with which to resolve conflicts and promote co-
management in the Delta fisheries, and every attempt should be made to support the
organisation and ensure its sustainability. In this regard, it should be noted that one
of the core operational activities for the Fisheries Division should be stakeholder
institution building.

The management rationale that is applied to the fishery needs to be updated. In this
regard, consideration should be given to the rationale for maintaining some of the
management interventions that are currently in place. Changes to the current
framework could be considered. Changes should be linked to the social and
economic imperatives articulated in the draft Wildlife Policy and the need to align
fishery “management” interventions with these goals. This would require a new
operational approach for the Fisheries Division which would include stakeholder
institution building and facilitation, and the development of partnerships and projects.
In terms of the commercial fishers, fish marketing issues remain a serious constraint
to their business operations, and the potential to develop local markets based on
import substitution, and the provision of premium quality products to the existing
lodges in the Delta need to be investigated. Finally, the potential to promote the
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SOGES
FISHERIES ASSESSMENT REPORT
Support for Devising of the Aquaculture Development Strategy for Botswana and the development of outlines for the
Fisheries Management Plan of the Okavango Delta

recreational fishing industry in such a way that it empowers the existing fisher groups
that are currently marginalised needs to be considered.

The management plan that is presented is not a management plan per se, but rather
provides an outline that the DWNP: Fisheries Division can use to develop a Fisheries
Management Plan for the Delta. The document provides a vision and goal for the
management of the fishery, and an indication of the management objectives, guiding
principles, and the key issues and strategic actions that are required to successfully
manage the fishery.

Nine key issues were identified in the planning process, these comprise:

Issue 1: Fisher Organisations: There is a need to support fisher organisations (OFA /
OFMC) to ensure financial and operational sustainability, and the development of co-
management systems.

Issue 2: Institutional Capacity: There is a need for enhanced institutional capacity for
the DWNP: Fisheries Division to carry out its mandate and to implement the Draft
Wildlife and CNBRM Policies in respect of fisheries.

Issue 3: Trans-boundary Co-operation: There is a need for improved trans-boundary
co-operation and management.

Issue 4: Improved fisheries data: There is a need to revise the fisheries data
collection and analysis systems which are not optimised for monitoring and informing
fisheries decision-making processes.

Issue 5: Regulations: There is a need to review the current regulatory framework and
make input into the new Wildlife Act.

Issue 6: Compliance: There is a need to improve compliance with fisheries and
wildlife legislation at all levels.

Issue 7: Biological reference points and decision rules: There is a need to develop
biological reference points and decision rules for the fisheries in the Okavango Delta.

Issue 8: CBNRM initiatives: There is a need to promote community based tourism
opportunities linked to the recreational fishery and traditional fishing cultures.

Issue 9: Fish processing / marketing: There is a need to improve fish handling,
processing and marketing to guarantee the safety and quality of fish products and
increase value at all levels.

In order to promote consistency with existing management planning processes, the
proposed management interventions use the format applied to the Okavango Delta
Management Plan, and in some respects, could be viewed as an extension of the
fishery components of that document. In terms of policy, the proposed interventions
are aligned with the draft wildlife and CNBRM policies.
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SOGES
FISHERIES ASSESSMENT REPORT
Support for Devising of the Aquaculture Development Strategy for Botswana and the development of outlines for the
Fisheries Management Plan of the Okavango Delta

Part 1: Diagnostic Analysis

1 Introduction

This report has been developed in response to the ACP FISH II programme‟s
requirement to support the development of a Fisheries Management Plan for the
Okavango Delta. The report provides an assessment of the status and potential of
the Okavango fishery, evaluating the effectiveness of current policy, and legal and
management instruments, and provides a diagnostic analysis of the issues impacting
fisheries management in the Delta. The report is based on a fact-finding mission to
Botswana and the Delta that was undertaken between 23rd January and 23rd
February 2011, and two stakeholder consultative workshops that were held in
Shakawe and Maun on 8th and 15th February respectively (Appendix 1 and 2).

1.1 The Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is situated at the northern-most edge of the Kalahari Desert in
north western Botswana, below the Caprivi Strip in Namibia. The Okavango delta
system comprises a complex series of inflowing rivers, swamps, outflowing rivers and
sump lakes. The inflowing rivers comprise the Okavango and Cuando rivers that
have their headwaters in the Southern Angolan highlands approximately 600-1000km
north of Maun. Collectively, these rivers supply between 8 and 15 thousand million
cubic meters of water per annum to the Delta. Inflow water is augmented by
approximately 5000 million m3 of rainfall. The majority of the water entering the delta
is lost to the atmosphere through evapo-transpiration (Giske, 1996), with
approximately 2% of the input appearing as output at the distal end of the Delta
(Wilson and Dincer, 1976). The swamps comprise the Okavango Delta and the
outflowing rivers, the Selinda spillway, and Thamalakane and Botetil rivers. The
sump lakes that fill when the delta is full include Lake Ngami and Lake Xao. The
system has no connection to the Zambezi system, and thus effectively it has no
outflow.

The Okavango river enters Botswana at Mohembo (Figure 1) where it is about 90 m
wide with depths ranging from 2 to 8 m. This area is known as the panhandle and
runs for approximately 100 kms to the south. In the panhandle area there is little
extensive floodplain, however the meandering river spills seasonally into a vegetated
flood plain up to 16 km wide (Mosepele, 2001). At the downstream limit of the
Panhandle (which is not clearly defined) between the villages of Sepopa on the
western and Seronga on the eastern margins of the Delta, the Okavango River starts
to break out into its primary distributaries, marking the start of the Delta. The annual
floods peak in Mohembo between February and April and reach the distal end of the
delta in Maun between June and August, five months later (McCarthy, 1992; Giske,
1996).
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SOGES
FISHERIES ASSESSMENT REPORT
Support for Devising of the Aquaculture Development Strategy for Botswana and the development of outlines for the
Fisheries Management Plan of the Okavango Delta

1.2 Characterisation of the fish stocks

In the past, the Okavango system was connected to the Upper Zambezi drainage
basin and its fish fauna can be considered as being part of the Zambezi system,
which has some 134 species of fish (Skelton 2001; Ramberg et al. 2006). Of these
86 are found in the Okavango basin and 71 within the Okavango River and Delta
below the Popa Rapids of the East Caprivi Strip in Namibia. The Zambezi fauna
includes 23 (17%) endemic species, most of which are restricted to the upper
Zambezi (Skelton, 2001). There are no endemic species restricted to the Okavango
River and Delta below the Popa Rapids. To date, no alien introductions or
translocated fish have been reported in the Okavango River and Delta. However, in
late 2006, an outbreak of epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS) caused by the
oomycete (water mould) Aphanomyces invadans, was isolated in fish in the Chobe
river (Andrew, et al, in press), and by 2010 the presence of EUS in the Panhandle of
the Delta was confirmed. While the disease has its origins in Asia, its appearance in
the region is most probably linked to the translocation of fish, possibly for aquaculture
or for the ornamental fish trade. Evidently, the appearance of a disease that could
only have come from a translocated fish provides a pertinent warning for the potential
for alien invasive fauna to become established in the system.

Welcomme (1985) asserted that flood plain fish populations undergo inter and intra
annual variations that are driven by the hydrological regime. In this regard, Skelton et
al. (1985) suggested that the flood regime was the single most important factor that
influenced the distribution of fish in the Delta. This assertion was supported by
Merron and Bruton (1988) and Merron (1991) who highlighted the critical role that the
flood regime plays in the ecology of floodplain fish in the Delta, and Mosepele (2000)
who from a fisheries perspective, reported that the longitudinal and lateral fish
migrations effected by the variations in the flood regime result in spatio-temporal
variations in fish availability.

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SOGES