IN Africa, some five percent of the population, about 35 million people, depend wholly or partly on fisheries.
Fish harvesting, handling, processing and distribution provide livelihood for millions of people, mostly artisanal fishermen, for their livelihood as well as providing foreign exchange to many African countries’ exchequers.
Post-harvest processing and preservation of fish are important to minimise losses that are estimated to reach up to 40 percent of a total catch by weight.
It is estimated that post-harvest losses remain around 25 percent of the total annual world catch.
To minimise these losses, various traditional methods have been employed to preserve and process fish for consumption and storage; include smoking, salting, frying and drying; such as the drying of Kariba kapenta/matemba in Zimbabwe.
In countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, among others, smoking is the most widely used method of fish preservation.
Practically, all species of fish caught can be smoked, and it has been estimated that 70-80 percent of domestic marine and freshwater catch is consumed in the diverse smoking methods that are used in processing and preservation of fish in Africa by artisanal fishermen.
Often overlooked in our Zimbabwean land reclamation exercise are the precious waterbodies that harbour our indigenous aquatic heritage.
In tandem with Zimbabwe’s Command Fisheries Programme, salient knowledge on the fish species of Zimbabwe should be appraised.
From the humble kapenta/matemba to the glamorous sport of tiger fishing in Kariba, our waterbodies hold a bounty of fish species that many indigenous Zimbabweans had knowledge of traditionally and understood their cultural significance, environmental importance and dietary needs.
In these difficult days of austerity measures and the daunting prices of beef, fish has become an alternative source of protein and sustenance for many.
In fact, the common kapenta/matemba (limnothriss miodon) and the Lake Tanganyika sardine have become a meal of choice for many.
This species is made up of three types that include silver cyprinid and rastrineobola argentiea – collectively known colloquially as matemba in the Shona language.
During a conversation at an education workshop with some of my Shona comrades recently, we discussed how fish are always given English names, instead of the original indigenous names to our fish species.
My response was: “Chisikwa chese chine zita muchivanhu chedu — every creature, animal or fish, has an indigenous name.”
Fish are the oldest and most abundant vertebrates in the world comprising about 24 000 species – over 40 percent of all known vertebrates.
Roughly, 4 800 species live in fresh water.
In Zimbabwe, we have a rich fish fauna with 122 recorded indigenous species, comprising 13 orders and 25 species.
In the Zambezi River system, there are approximately 340 known species; ranking equal to the Nile and second only to the Congo River system with 600 species.
Additionally, a number of species have been introduced into our waterbodies, swelling the number of fish to about 131 species.
About 30 species have been introduced (not all successful), into the country for angling, aquaculture purposes or to increase fish production in dams.
Major introduction of other species to boost fish production includes: redbreast tilapia and the greenhead tilapia from Zambia to lake Kariba in 1959-1961; the greenhead tilapia to lakes Kyle and McIlwaine (Chivero) in 1959; Indian carp in 1966; the sardine (limnothrissa miodon) — kapenta/matemba from Lake Tanganyika to Lake Kariba in 1966-1967; the domestic carp from SA in 1970; two tilapia species from Israel in 1981; the channel catfish from the US in 1980 and the silver and grass carp in 1983, also introduced from SA.
The Florida largemouth bass was introduced in 1982 from the US; it has proliferated and has since spread throughout Zimbabwe.
Numerous local introductions from one waterbody to another have also taken place.
However, the mosquito fish, introduced in 1925, to control mosquitos was unsuccessful.
Whilst fishing as a young girl in Kariba, I learnt about the myriad of fish species living in the waters, their behaviour and habitat and the numerous health benefits of fish; especially for the marginalised people.
Among the fish species I learnt about (beyond matemba) were zambanenje – the Cornish jack; mhumbu/mburi – the mud sucker labeo fish; tsira – the yellow fish, also known as guyukuyu or guyu; and mucheni/sheni – the tiger fish, also known as muvanga; and muramba or hokota which is the barbel or cat fish, also known as mukokota that can weigh up to 30kg.
Dr Michelinna Rudo Andreucci is a Zimbabwean-Italian researcher, industrial design consultant, lecturer and specialist hospitality interior decorator. She is a published author in her field. For views and comments, email:linamanucci@gmail.com