Small-scale fishers’ perceptions of climate change and its consequences on fisheries: the case of Sanyathi fishing basin, Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Small-scale fisheries, especially in developing countries, are susceptible to the negative impacts of climate change. Changing climate is one of the factors altering fish productivity, resulting in declining fish catches. Studies have been done to investigate the nature and extent of these impacts. However, research indicates that fishers in developing countries are unaware of the climate change phenomena. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how small-scale fishers perceive climate change at a local level. This study presents small-scale fishers’ perceptions of climate change and further elucidates on the impacts of climate change on fish production in Sanyathi fishing basin, Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. Mixed method research approaches were employed in the study. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 66 fishers. Meteorological time series data were used to triangulate the fishers’ perceptions of climate change. Cross-tabulations (chi-square tests) and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Results indicated that 92% of the fishers are aware of climate change. There is a significant (p < 0.05) categorical variable association between climate change perceptions and fish catches. However, there are no statistically significant (R2 = 0.08, p > 0.05, n = 30) changes in mean annual temperature from 1987 to 2016. There is a statistically significant increase in rainfall (R2 = 0.14, p < 0.05, n = 30) over the three decades. The results suggest that it is crucial for policy and development agencies to consider the fishers’ perceptions of climate change to formulate appropriate climate responses at the local level.