Cape clawless otter conservation and a trout river in Zimbabwe: a case study

Abstract

A community-based conservation scheme on the upper catchment of the Kairezi River, eastern Zimbabwe, has been based on financial returns from trout fishing. Despite consistent stocking, trout catches have been declining, which undermines the justification for conservation. Fishery managers believed that Cape clawless otters Aonyx capensis preyed on trout and competed with them for food. An analysis of otter and trout diets in 1993 indicated that this was not the case and the otter was not the cause of the lack of trout. The future of the scheme and the conservation of otters in the catchment are more likely to be threatened by poaching and uncontrolled agricultural activities.