April 7, 2008 – One Saturday morning in February 2007, eleven young fishermen from Moanda Village struggle to get their motorized canoe back into the water. Feet sinking into the sand on the beach, they put beach almond tree branches under the small boat to make it slide toward the water, pulling it with the help of sticks and rope.
 | Salting the catch of Nsiamfumu fishermen. © World Bank |
Papy Baza, owner of the canoe, cheers on the fishermen who, at sunrise, are already sweating copiously. Other fishermen heading toward the beach come to their rescue and, thanks to the strong undertow, the canoe finally leaves terra firma for the ocean. This strenuous maneuver, which takes place over a 25-meter distance, has taken them two hours, and will be repeated when the crew returns.
Close by, a father and his son are also getting ready to go fishing. They collect stones to support their nets in the ocean. Cork and pieces of rubber slippers will be used as floats. “We use a canoe with paddles, because a motorized canoe costs an arm and a leg,” explains Adolphe Menayame.
With 400 inhabitants, Moanda Village has just one motorized canoe. Nora Mamuluemba, a fisherman in Nsiamfumu, a port of embarkation for slaves in the colonial era prior to their departure for the Americas, explained that up to US$5,500 is needed for a motorized canoe, including tools such as nets, paddle and floats.
Once a true fish market, this village is a shadow of its former self. “I spent two weeks over there to buy fish but I only got a few Fry,” mourns a fish vendor returning from the village.
Sharing knowledge
In 2007, the World Bank financed the training of about sixty leaders of fishermen associations in Moanda in order to assist these villagers. The villages are experiencing many problems in the fishing industry, which provides them with a living. The Bank project was financed by the agricultural component of the Multisectoral Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Program (PMURR).
 | Training of about sixty leaders of fishermen associations in Moanda. © World Bank |
They formed an association and pursued three training modules, an introduction to fishing techniques, and the collection of statistical data on fishing. This training was carried out by Trias, a Belgian NGO. “We need this type of training, because our life depends on fishing,” acknowledged Assani Bin Assani, President of the Association for the Development of Fishing and Youth Training (ADEPEJ).
For Edo Balu of the Nsiamfumu Fishermen’s Union (UPN), this training not only allowed them to understand that an association’s role is not simply one of assistance, but also that “fishing should not be done in a disorganized manner.” The UPN has since become organized and has an office that is gradually being equipped.
Antoine Luizilemo of the Association of Small-Scale Fishermen in Moanda Village (APAMV) says that he has learned how to use fishing tools and how to preserve fish species.
After receiving training, the association leaders in turn committed to training others involved in fishing in their region, like Virginie Lembe, who benefited from this knowledge sharing. “Now I know how to salt and smoke fish,” she says happily.
Finding the most suitable tools
Nets, three scales, a notebook, and US$50 were given to the associations. The scales and notebooks in particular were to be used to collect fishing data to be submitted to the Central Coordination Office (BCECO), which is implementing the project.
“ We couldn’t do it, because the nets were of poor quality and of no use,” explains Pierre Tendele, Vice President of the APAMV. The scales were corroded by rust. Edo Balu expressed this desire: “We need plastic scales that last longer.”
The well-trained fishermen of the Moanda shoreline are nevertheless asking to be better equipped to pursue their activity, which is becoming more and more demanding, in a manner that is in keeping with established standards.
They need motorized canoes and quality tools, because fish scarcity forces them to go further and further from the coasts into the open sea. But there, they come across trawlers from neighboring countries who, they say, “fish in our waters and take our nets as they pass.” Certain poorly equipped fishermen are forced to use fine mesh nets that are, however, illegal and even collect Fry. They then travel as far as 50 kilometers from the coasts to meet the trawlers, to whom they resell them in exchange for agricultural products.
The head of the Agriculture, Fisheries, and Livestock Office in Moanda, Boniface Panzu, is hoping for better monitoring of fishing practices along the coast. “Fine mesh nets should be strictly prohibited,” he says. As the Director-General of the Moanda National Institute for Fisheries and Shipping, Pierre Mamvuemba, notes, this cannot be done “without support from the authorities.”
Contributed by Louise Mekonda Engulu, World Bank, DRC |
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