Amid Drought, Fish Disappear from Zimbabwe's Markets
With fish stocks declining as water levels fall in drought-hit reservoirs across the country, Zimbabwe’s fish sellers and buyers are struggling to cope, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of fisheries as a source of income and nutrition.
Experts agree that climate change is having an impact on fishing, but Zimbabwe has yet to study precisely how it is affecting supplies that for years have supported thousands of families across the country.
For Thandi Ncube, however, who sells fish around the densely populated townships of Bulawayo, business clearly is no longer what it used to be.
“The fishermen say their catch is getting low,” Ncube said.
Normally she buys in bulk, mostly kapenta (Tanganyika sardine) and bream (pomfrets), from fishermen just outside Bulawayo, a city where consumers have for years turned to fish as a cheaper alternative to beef and chicken.
Mark Verster