THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has embarked on a National Command Fisheries Programme at Tokwe Mukosi Dam in a move to create a thriving fishing industry at the recently commissioned inland dam.
At least 1,5 million fingerlings (young fish) introduced into the dam to boost fish production across the Masvingo Province.
There is a surging demand for fish across the country.
Tokwe-Mukosi Dam is the largest inland dam in Zimbabwe with a capacity of 1,8 billion cubic meters and a flood area covering more than 9 600 hectares.
The dam was completed last year in December and was financed to the tune of US$300 million and President Robert Mugabe officially launched the fish breeding programme.
Speaking at the launch of the fisheries programme, Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Shuvai Mahofa said the dam would make Masvingo Province a major fish producer.
“We must jealously guard this fisheries programme that is being spearheaded by Parks because the fish that will be bred here will also be stocked in other dams across the province so that Masvingo becomes a major fish producer,” she said.
Minister Mahofa said there was need to curb rampant fish poaching to enable the fish breeding programme to quickly benefit the whole province.
Plans are underway to expand the fisheries programme to Mutirikwi, Siya, Muzhwi, Bangala and Manyuchi dams.
Zimbabwe produces about 18 400 tonnes of fish from Kariba, Chivero, Darwendale and other private fish farmers.
The country has the potential to produce almost 1,5 million tonnes per year.
Parks and Wildlife Management Authority’s Simukai Nyasha said the authority has had an overwhelming interest for permits.
“There is a growing demand for the exploitation of fisheries resources as evidenced by overwhelming applications for fish permits and licences submitted to Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority,” Nyasha said.
“On the other hand, Zimbabwe has a limited fisheries output despite that the country has over 10 700 small, medium sized and large dams with conducive environments for intensive fish production.
“This presents the country with a huge potential for the development and or expansion of the fisheries industry.
“With an average of five co-operatives per dam with a membership of 20 fishermen, these dams have the capacity to support 214 000 families.
“With an average family size of six, these dams if fully utilised will support 1 284 000 people throughout the country at the primary production level.
“This number will be further increased by other support industries and product beneficiation sectors. Demand for fish has outgrown supply with some consumers importing Kapenta from Cabora Bassa.
“This has also increased pressure on Lake Kariba as the sole supplier of Kapenta which has resulted in the rise of subsistence and transboundary poaching.”
The fisheries contribution to the GDP which is currently at a paltry 0.05 percent with export earnings from fisheries also at 0.94 percent (FAO Statistics) is expected to increase.
The dam is also expected to become a major tourist attraction.
Surrounding the dam are majestic indigenous trees like the bjalbertii, whose local name is ‘Mutuputupu’.
This indigenous tree is known by the locals and foresters for its unique attributes of being borer proof, self-pruning as well as growing up to 30 metres.
According to the Forestry Commission, the tree is classified under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red data list as near threatened.
“The IUCN classifies the Mutuputupu tree as near threatened and this should serve as a drive for the conservation of the tree species,” said the Forestry Commission.
“With a baseline of minus 1 000 trees of this indigenous tree species around the year 2000, there hasn’t been a proper inventory to determine how many trees are left.
“What we know is there has been pressure or a preference to this tree for household purposes and this has been a threat for the survival of the tree.”
The Forestry Commission said the Mutuputupu only thrives in the Ngundu area.
“The Ngundu area is the only known natural habitat in Zimbabwe for bjalbertii and it is unfortunate that the water body at Tokwe Mukosi may have submerged some of the trees even though others can be found in the Nyoni Hills which include the Banga Irrigation Scheme.”
Interventions are being made by the Commission to ensure that the tree species does not become extinct.
“There had not been an active conservation programme on this indigenous tree probably because of resource constraints but the Forestry Commission has embarked on intervention measures to ensure that the indigenous tree does not become extinct,” one forester said.
“We began last year with a massive seed collection in the valleys of the Tokwe Mukosi Dam and established a gene bank in the eastern highlands.
A suitable site has been identified on the rocky outcrops at Nyamukwarara with almost the similar altitude to Nyoni Hills.
A gene bank of close to 300 seedlings is currently growing well and we are hoping to do a replica of the same in the various research stations across the country.
“Through this work, the Forestry Commission is contributing towards the conservation of threatened tree species.
“The project is being conducted under the theme: ‘Methods for conservation and sustainable management of genetic resources of important tree species’.
“This work is likely to have a significant impact on forest genetic resources and forest biodiversity conservation as it is focusing on a rare and threatened species whose importance in the ecosystem cannot be overemphasised.”
The Mutuputupu tree is unfortunately not the only tree that falls under the IUCN red data list with trees such as the warburgia salutaris (pepper bark tree) found in Chipinge and the milicia excelsa (African teak) found in Gonarezhou also being under threat.