Tropical Ecology - Biotopes
Collecting Fishes in Lake Malawi
Written by Thursday, 20 September 2001 02:00
Cichlids, cichlids, cichlids ... all I think about is cichlids - of course I'm kidding - but not by that much! Any way what I'd like to talk you about today is actually collecting cichlids. Fishes, all around the world, are generally caught to be used as food by humans - I'm not interested in discussing whether this habit is "correct" or not - it is just a fact... Cichlids are fishes hence they are regarded as feeding resources ... so cichlids are also caught to be eaten and in fact, Lake Malawi natives, usually rely on fishes (cichlids but not only) as a food resource. Of course, I haven't travelled as far as Lake Malawi to simply eat fish (even if we've been offered "cooked" cichlids and other fishes while at the Lake). This introduces us to another possible "use" of fishes: colelcting them to keep them in an aquarium!
Before carrying on it is worth remembering the fish classification I've learned while staying at the Lake (take in mind that it is absolutely "unofficial") back then in the end of October and beginning of November 1997. According to this native classification the results of "fishing game" are divided in three groups:
Cichlids: the first, and most important, group. These are fishes used (almost exclusively) by tourist to "play" in their tanks, once at home.
Chakulachromis: the word "chakula" in Tanzanian language (although I'm not sure if it is correctly spelled) means something like "to eat" or "food" while the suffix "chromis" doesn't need any further explanation to a cichlid keeper. That given fish group (either an over one foot Tyrannochromis or a two inch Aulonocara (Peacock)) can switch classification between this and the previous group, according to "cichlidiots" needs.
Shit fishes: those fishes are believed to be of absolutely no "utility" thus are not classified in one of the two groups methioned above. For thsese fishes, as far as I've seen, any kind of attention it's a waste of time (even "unnetting" them safely and throwing them back into the lake). Many times during my stay there I've witnessed the bad habit - from local fisherman working for aquarist and aquarist themselves - to simply cut this unfortunate fellows into two pieces (mostly they are too small or not yet coloured specimens) throwing them away to get just to shorten the time it takes to have the net ready for another use ... Do not bother to ask why they do that, you'll be answered: "It's Africa" (period!). Commonly that's an answer used whenever you ask an unpleasent question ... "Take it or leave it" ! I've had to face this habit very often - with which I do not agree by the way!
Back to methods for catching fish now. Fishes meant for food are caught by means of fishing nets and/or hooks in the exactly the same way I've seen elsewhere in Africa and also in Europe (never watched closely fishing activities so I can't go into many details). Any way hooks are used to fish in "free water" while nets are used in areas closer to rocks. I saw nets laid to dry on the beach: weights at bottom are simple rounded stones of similar weight, carefully tied at regular intervals to the end of the net, while the other edge of the net is kept floating by empty tiny plastic bottles tied to the net's upper edge. Such "poor" fishing tackles supported by a remarkable ability of local fishermans leads to abundant catches on a daily basis ...that can be observed daily at Mbamba Bay market.
A completely different method, which I directly witnessed and in part performed, is catching fish to be used in aquariums. Generally speaking, this sort of activity is known as "collecting" (instead of catching) fishes. Collecting fishes, for the sake of truth, has been one of the highlights of our 1997 Lake Malawi Trip (not that strange, after all ...eh?)
Direct fishing: This refers to fishes you catch by yourself or with friends. You are actually left with two options:
Catching juveniles (with aquarium "hand-nets") among the rocks along the shores, which in reality gives you the opportunity of a nice walk along the Lake. The main pitfall is the fact that, when collecting like this, you may easily get very young specimens and in this case it is very difficult to go any further than just divide them in M'buna and Utaka (unless you are a real expert - I must admit I do not go that far ...) Of course, this is like making a little bet on the future...
Catching adult and sub-adult specimens is generally the rule and it is performed by means of "wall-nets" not that big (let's say 3 X 5 meters - 9 X 15 feet) with really small "holes" and absolutely colourless. You inspect the surroundings (snorkelling at the surface) and, once you find a possibly interesting place, you dip the net and "shake" the water. This situation is new to these fishes that try to escape; the ones that hit the net (holes MUST be really small to avoid fishes being "trapped") carry on swimming, pushing as hard as they can on the net. All you have to do - after waiting a while for them to get tired - is to dive and catch them by hand (I happened to get one with my right hand and one with my left hand at the same time!).
You must then reach the surface and put them in the (previously prepared) floating bags, firmly close them and leave them floating. Once you're tired or fishes are enough you get all the floating bags and you are done, ready for dinner! It is a really tiresome business but it works perfectly, believe me!
Specimens offered by kids (directly at the camp every evening): That's the oddest part of the game. Every evening, kids from the surrounding villages came to the camp to offer (alive) leftovers of the fishing that took place in the morning. This leads to a funny situation: It is clear to all that fishes breath in water (using their gills) so one evening a boy offered us some cichlids dipped in a tea pot (only their gills and tails) with their bodies shaking and waving in the air! Those fishes were - of course - badly damaged by the hot sun, eventhough still alive. Once we refused them they switched from possibly cichlids to chakulachromis (see above) usefull for dinner (where they would be of best service !) Fish trading was performed by staff members to assure equal "prices" (ridicolously cheap) to everybody.
Fishes caught by fishermen - this is the "dark side of the moon". I've always looked (or forced to look!) at fishermen "on duty" at the camp, while "at work" I could only see them far away (they were using different boats). The only thing that I've learned is that for fishes caught in deep water (five/six meters can be deep enough!) the problem is to avoid too fast decreases of environmental (underwater) pressure when raising them to surface which will result in swimm bladder and other, hardly recoverable, damages. Thus "upside-down" barrels floating in the deep (partially filled with air to allow them to maintain the right position) and hooked to bottom by anchors are in use. Every day those barrels are moved, a little, closer to surface (say one or two meters a day) ... The result is that some fishes can need up to a week (or more) to reach surface. This had happened to my Pseudotropheus elongatus "Luhuchi Rock".
Always, no matter what you're facing, remember to take care of your fishes: keep them in the shadow, change water (even three times a day - or even more often), feed them sparingly, get them used to the "canned" food you commonly use in your tanks back home, watch out for the need to use some "chemicals" ... Condidering the general environment in which you're living it's a demanding task (luckily you get a helping hand from the members of the group) ... but this is also part of the game. Never forget it! Of course since electricity was not available at all, no air pumps of way kind were in use, just buckets and "strenght" ! Finally lets have a quick review to legal matters (these considerations refer to requirements to which you have to comply when bringing fishes in Italy, elsewhere the situation could be different in many ways):
First, and most important point, no cichlid in Lake Malawi is currently enlisted, at any level, in CITES to the best of my knowledge. It is always wise to check at the planning stage it to see if something has changed to avoid serious trouble.
You need a "Vet declaration" for fishes stating that your fishes are free of disease, refer to Your local correspondent to get this document,
Pay export taxes due and all other fees (it is not that much and you'll be asked for the receipt, among others, by the Air Company and the Freight Forwarder),
Then apply to an international forwarder to send fishes home. Again refer to your local correspondent for a suggestion. Please note that you have to pack correctly your new pets to avoid damages during the trip. It is sad to say but normally you should expect losses and give them a long quarantine period once at home.
When getting fishes at their final destination (your hometown airport) apply in time to local offices (vet, CITES section if any is present, and customs) to undertake the requested procedures. Be prepared for the formalities to take a considerable amount of time. Once you've fulfilled all your duties finally collect your box(es), hurry back home and enjoy your specimens!
Final note: We had been clearly informed well before departure that according to the rules we were only allowed to bring back one box packed with fish per person. If correctly packed, the contents of the box can as much as overstock a 300 lt tank. Please bear in mind that rules vary according to the international forwarder used. You can fill your box at your leisure but avoid large specimens that will hardly resist the increasing lack of oxygen in the bag during flight, and resist the idea to overfill it, even this is not very easy (it's gonna be a loooooong trip ...) Generally speaking: the more the boxes the more likely it is to be asked, upon arrival, what are you going to do with those fishes, if you can offer them proper living conditions and so on and, finally, but equally important, custom duties will be more expensive. The same is true for all other bills you will be called to pay.
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