Abstract: A study to determine the impact of closed fishing season on the livelihood of fishers was conducted in Stratum I of the Kafue fishery. A simple random sampling method was used to pick 34 respondents from different fishing villages/camp out of a list of 136 registered fishers obtained from the Department of Fisheries. Questionnaires were administered to the selected respondents who were involved in fishing as their source of income, employment and food. The results evidently showed that fifty eight (58%) percent of the fishers were negatively impacted by the closed fishing season. Furthermore, another 55% of the respondents also indicated that complete stoppage of fishing denied them the opportunity to have a regular income. Most fishers considered fishing to be an important occupation that provided their main source of income to keep their families well, considering that there were no viable alternative income generating activities. Furthermore, it was observed that those that continued to fish illegally during the closed fishing season, made little income of less than $189 that was unable to effectively sustain them. However, in spite of the challenges they faced during the closure, some fishers supported the move taken by the government to conserve their much treasured natural resources on which their livelihood was dependent upon.
Keywords: Impact, closed fishing season, livelihood of fishers, Stratum I, Kafue fishery.
Title: Impact of Closed Fishing Season on the Livelihood of Fishers: A Case of Stratum I of Kafue Fishery
Author: NAMANGOLWA CHIMBA, CONFRED G. MUSUKA
International Journal of Life Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-313X (Print), ISSN 2348-3148 (online)
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