The fisheries of Lake Chilwa

The importance of Lake Chilwa as a commercial fishery was first recognized by Hornby (1963). He ‘conservatively’ estimated that 9000 tonnes wet weight of fish were being cropped annually from Lake Chilwa. He based this estimate partly on net sales from his Blantyre factory and partly on a short survey of fish leaving the jetty at Kachulu. As early as 1942 Hickling had recommended that information be gathered on the fish and fisheries of Lake Chilwa and this recommendation was repeated by Lowe (1952), because the fish yields were inconsistent and dependent on the condition of the lake. Catches of fish were reduced at times of very low water when fishing became difficult and the water notably alkaline and unsuitable for many fish. It was not until 1961 that the colonial administration appointed a Fish Ranger to supplement the Fishery Assistant who had been periodically based at Kachulu since 1952. The first official estimate of fish landings was for 1963, the year that Hornby circulated his private findings. The government figure was 3260 tonnes. This figure rose to 8820 tonnes by 1965 and the value of the fishery was established beyond doubt. The first Fisheries Research Officer was appointed by the Malawi Government in 1964.