Abstract
Malaria is a serious global health issue, with around 200 million cases per year. As such, great effort has been put into the mass distribution of bed nets as a means of prophylaxis within Africa. Distributed mosquito nets are intended to be used for malaria protection, yet increasing evidence suggests that fishing is a primary use for these nets, providing fresh concerns for already stressed coastal ecosystems. While research documents the scale of mosquito net fisheries globally, no quantitative analysis of their landings exists. The effects of these fisheries on the wider ecosystem assemblages have not previously been examined. In this study, we present the first detailed analysis of the sustainability of these fisheries by examining the diversity, age class, trophic structure and magnitude of biomass removal. Dragnet landings, one of two gear types in which mosquito nets can be utilised, were recorded across ten sites in northern Mozambique where the use of Mosquito nets for fishing is common. Our results indicate a substantial removal of juveniles from coastal seagrass meadows, many of which are commercially important in the region or play important ecological roles. We conclude that the use of mosquito nets for fishing may contribute to food insecurity, greater poverty and the loss of ecosystem functioning.
Highlights
Malaria is arguably one of the most significant global health issues of recent times
With around 200 million cases, and 600 000 deaths per year globally (Lover et al 2011; WHO 2016), non-governmental organisations, foundations, trusts and philanthropists have invested millions in the mass distribution of mosquito nets as a means of potential prevention. Large scale initiatives such as the RollBack Malaria Programme have distributed hundreds of millions of nets globally (Lover et al 2011). While these nets are intended to be used for malaria protection, many have been repurposed for alternative uses, ranging from covering crops to making clothes, such as wedding dresses (Eisele et al 2011; Lover et al 2011)
Increasing evidence suggests fishing is a primary use of mosquito nets (Short et al 2018), providing new concerns for the already stressed coastal environments of the tropics (Valiela et al 2001; Bellwood et al 2004; Waycott et al 2009)
Summary
Malaria is arguably one of the most significant global health issues of recent times. The concern of mosquito net fisheries (MNF) is their small mesh size (generally B 3 mm) and the coastal habitats in which they are used. Mosquito nets potentially harvest a large proportion of these juvenile species (Bush et al 2017; Short et al 2018).
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