Net Fishing Research Articles

CONDITION OF CORAL REEF, SEAGRASS AND MANGROVE IN TOURISM GARDEN OF TIWORO STRAIT, WEST MUNA REGENCY, SOUTHEAST SULAWESI

The biodiversity of the Tiworo Strait Conservation Area (KKLD) was highly potential to be developed. However, in recent years, potential utilization has begun to lead to environmental destruction due to the use of destructive fishing gear. Therefore, biophysical studies were needed to give an overview and outlook about the area in order to provide information on the condition of coral reefs, reef fish, mangrove, sea grass, scare/endemic biota and socioeconomic conditions as well as the cause of aquatic ecosystems destruction. The method used to collect the data in the field is by undertaking observation, interview, and literature study method. Observation of coral cover and benthos used was by Point Intercept Transect (PIT) method while for the reef fish, the method used was a visual water census (UVC). Quadratic transect method was used for observation of sea grass and mangrove ecosystem. Meanwhile, the socio-economic condition is done by interview survey technique. The observation result shows the coral condition of the Tiworo Straits KKLD was in the medium category with the mean percentage of live coral of 46%. The lowest percentage of live coral was located at Station 1 of Mandike Island (18%), and the highest was at the Indo Island Station (76%), which is categorized as very good. The number of individual reef fish is 1.217 individuals / m2, and benthos type that dominates was sea urchin. The highest density of mangrove trees was 4000 trees/ha and the lowest was 200 trees/ha. The types of sea grasses observed were Thallasia hemprichi and Ehalus acroides. People, in general, have a livelihood as a fisherman with gill net fishing gear and fishing platform.

ANALISIS KEBERLANJUTAN SUMBERDAYA PERIKANAN DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN JARING PERANGKAP (TRAP NET) DI WILAYAH PESISIR PANTAI KABUPATEN PANGKEP

Research of the sustainability analysis of fisheries resources by using trap net in the coastal ofPangkep Regency was conducted on August to October 2018 in the coastal zone of pangkep Regency.This research aims to 1) Analyze the location of trap net fishing areas, (2) Analyze environmentalfriendliness of trap net, (3) Analyze the sustainability of fish resources by using trap net in the coastalareas of Pangkep district. The method used was case study by following fishing operations using trapnet directly. Analyzed of the determination of the trap net installation location was used by geographicinformation systems (GIS), analyzed the selectivity of fishing gear used the formula based on theprovisions of FAO (1995), and analyzed the sustainability of fish resources used Rapfish analysis.Results of the research showed that fishing ground of using trap net covers the coastal areas ofPangkep Regency, there were four locations that have been determined based on analysis, which wereDistricts of Bungoro, Labakkang, Ma'rang, and Segeri. Trap net included in fishing gear that was notenvironmentally friendly, so it does not support the sustainability of fisheries resources. Utilization offishery resources by using a trap net in the coastal areas of Pangkep Regency is less sustainable.

STUDI DESAIN DAN KOMPOSISI JENIS HASIL TANGKAPAN ALAT TANGKAP TRAP NET DI PERAIRAN KECAMATAN SIGERI KABUPATEN PANGKEP

The research is entitled Utilization of coastal fisheries resources with trap net fishingequipment in the waters of Pangkep Regency. Related to that, the community uses thepotential of fish resources in the coastal waters of Pangkep Regency with a variety offishing gear, one of which is trap net (local read: tiku). Objectives are: 1) Knowing thecomposition of the type of trap net caught operated in coastal waters; 2) Knowing thelevel of environmental friendliness of the trap net fishing equipment operated in coastalwaters 3) Knowing the economic feasibility of trap net fishing equipment operated in thecoastal waters of Pangkep Regency. This research is expected to provide constructorsregarding the composition of catches in the use of Coastal Fishing Ground resourceswith net trap fishing equipment in the waters of Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi toensure access to sustainable use of fisheries resources. The study was conducted in June -December 2018 in the coastal waters of Sigeri District, Pangkep Regency. Materials andtools related directly or indirectly to research to make measurements and observations inthe field. The data needed consists of pruimer and secondary data. To achieve the goal,the data collected is carried out by analyzing fishing gear designs and analyzing thecomposition of catch species.The design of the trap net fishing gear is rectangular with avery small mesh size and the material is made of nylon (waring). The size of the trap netis 500 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. The composition of the types of trap net catchesoperated in the coastal waters of Pangkep Regency is very large and in general, fish thatmigrate daily at low tide take place.

Kimia Fisik Perairan dan Ektoparasit Ikan Nila dan Patin Di Situ Gintung, Tangerang Selatan, Banten

Poor water quality based on physical and chemical waters is one of the factors that influence the infection and presence of fish ectoparasites. The aim of study was to determine the physical and chemical waters, the types and prevalence of ectoparasites and the correlation of ectoparasites with physical and chemical waters. The study was conducted in Situ Gintung, South Tangerang from March to June 2018 with samples from Floating Net Cages (KJA) and fishing. The results showed that the physical and chemical waters generally within standard quality for fish cultivation. The number and type of fish ectoparasites consist of Trichodina sp., Chilodonella sp., Litonotus sp., Vorticella sp., Dactylogyrus sp. and Capillaria sp. Based on the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) shows that ectoparasites are affected by physical and chemical waters.

Is there a ‘wicked problem’ of small-scale coastal fisheries in Sierra Leone?

The situation of small-scale coastal fisheries in Sierra Leone is dire, with diminishing fish stocks and fish sizes due to massive industrial fishing and widespread use of banned nets by artisanal fishers. Repeated attempts have been made by fisheries management to improve the situation, but with little or no success. Superficially, it might seem that the two main causes of the problem - foreign industrial fishing and damaging artisanal nets – could be readily dealt with, but closer analysis reveals that tackling these causes is immensely complicated. This is because their roots lie deep in Sierra Leone's history, culture and politics, and any attempt to deal with them could lead to unintended consequences which might make the situation worse not better. Does this mean there is a ‘wicked problem’ here – i.e. a problem so intractable that it has no practicable solution? This is the issue which the present study addresses. The research is based on extensive fieldwork carried out in two large fishing coastal fishing communities in Sierra Leone (Tombo and Goderich) during April and May 2017 when 200 open-ended questionnaires (SQs) were administered and 51 key informant interviews (KIs) were conducted. The study concludes that the situation faced by small-scale fisheries in these communities meets several, but by no means all, of the criteria of a wicked problem, and that while a definitive solution to the problem is unfeasible, stakeholders could adopt strategies to alleviate its more harmful consequences.

Towards a Blue Humanity

Towards A Blue Humanity Ian Buchanan (bio) and Celina Jeffery (bio) Although the ocean covers seventy percent of the planet and provides more than half of the oxygen vital to all life on earth it figures comparatively little in global cultural production. Most of us tend to treat the ocean as that which must be traversed rather than explored for itself—we lay beside it at the beach, we cruise on its surface, or more usually fly several thousand feet above it, but we don't enter it (except perhaps for brief dives), and we certainly don't dwell in it. Yet ocean-going, particularly of cargo from China to the U.S., underpins globalization, so much so that the ocean has been described as the "missing context" of postmodernity, and from an environmental point of view, the ocean is a repository for plastic pollution, waste and effluence and is rapidly dying as global temperatures rise. There is a certain kind of politics of invisibility at work here—we do not comprehend complex eco-systems of oceans or the interdependence of the seas, earth and atmosphere. Much less, do we acknowledge the effects of the depletion, erasure and expulsion of biological life from much of the world's oceans. The ocean is, as Allan Sekula acknowledged, the "forgotten space" in which the twin fissures of oceanic degradation and social injustice are converging and ramifying (Sekula 2010). The "Anthropocene" ocean then is characterized by a particular kind of "slow violence" described by Rob Nixon, which is perhaps less visible and spectacular than a catastrophe like Deepwater Horizon oil spill might suggest, and yet more profoundly unjust and enduring in its long-term ramifications (2011, 21-22). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2018 Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5% highlighted the urgency of action needed to address global warming of oceans, resulting in acidification, the bleaching of coral reefs, rising tides, and the melting of the circumpolar regions (IPCC report 2018). Added to this heady mix are the impacts of over-fishing, industrial fishing, and ghost nets which have already resulted in extinction patterns, interruption of local food chains, and extensive plastic waste. Additionally, pollution in the form of oil, fertilizers, nuclear waste, and noise have further contributed to oceanic toxification. The cascading effects of these factors and their impact upon the Earth's life support system have yet to be fully understood, but the appearance of dead zones—often caused by algal blooms particularly by phosphorous run off from farms—in numerous areas of the world's oceans are a shocking sign of impending [End Page 11] collapse. It is interesting to note that at this time such algal blooms have caused the citizens of Toledo, USA to attempt to give Lake Erie legal rights to protect the lake, called the Lake Erie Bills of Rights. What are the cultural discourses of this hitherto unimaginable erasure and expulsion of biological life from much of the world's oceans? This special issue reflects upon a growing body of work known as the "blue humanities" which is historicizing the ocean and making it part of contemporary consciousness in a way—we hope—that will enable environmental activism's bid to "save" the ocean. A cornerstone of this issue is how we understand blue humanities in the context of an ecological catastrophe that is rarely seen by the human eye. As Nixon argues in his book Slow Violence, without the attention of writer-activists—and we might add, artists, film-makers, poets, and photographers—the environmental issues we face could go unnoticed, misapprehended and unchecked (2011, 14-15). This special section of symplokē explores how we can leverage transdisciplinary inquiry and begins to say why we need not only a blue humanities but also a blue humanity—a sense in which we restore our sense of connectedness and in the words of Rachel Carson, "return to the sea," in part, through a consideration of the contributions of creative artists and thinkers (2014, 247). This issue gathers texts that use critical theory, philosophy and visual art and culture, to demarcate how ocean-based economies have resulted in transnational environmental trends with...

Mosquito net fishing exemplifies conflict among Sustainable Development Goals

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires examining the impacts of health interventions across multiple sectors and identifying regions where health–development–environment conflicts are most likely. Doing this is important for ending the epidemic of malaria by 2030 alongside achieving other SDGs.

Study on toughness and toughening mechanism of cement-based fiber materials

In order to improve the character of common cement mortar which are brittle and easily cracked, andtotake advantage of the local materials, abandoned fishing nets was used toform get the cement-based fiber materials. In this study, the influence of the amount and length of abandoned fishing nets on the mechanical properties of cement mortar and its mechanism were discussed. Four different lengths of abandoned fishing nets were adopted under four kinds of dosages to mix with mortar and make a total of 16 test blocks. Then the flexural strengths of the prepared test blocks were tested, and the load-deflection curve of the test block was obtained. The results showthat the residual strength after the test block after which reachesthe peak load in the flexural test generally increases with the increase of the fiber content and the length of the fiber, but when the dosage and length increase to a certain range, the influences becomecomplicated. The crack propagation simulation byAbaqus further revealed the reinforcement mechanism, and it can be concluded thatthe bridging between the fiber and the matrix has a great influence on the character toughness.

Quantitative analysis of the influence of synthetic fibres on plastic shrinkage cracking using digital image correlation

The plastic shrinkage cracking behaviour of restrained mortar overlays on a concrete substrate was studied with the aim of quantifying the influence of commercially available polypropylene (PP) fibres and recycled polyethylene (R-PE) fibres obtained from discarded fishing nets. The use of R-PE fibres was investigated with a view to creating a more eco-friendly construction material. The plastic shrinkage behaviour was evaluated on the basis of a non-contact 2D digital image correlation (DIC) technique that enables the automated detection of surface displacements and strains with high precision. Based on the DIC data, the degree of surface cracking was quantitatively analysed using a MATLAB post-processing procedure and presented in detailed histograms showing the crack width distribution of the entire specimen surface. Using this data, the effect of fibre reinforcement on crack control was objectively quantified and evaluated. The results indicate that while the addition of 2.0% of R-PE is effective in controlling shrinkage cracking in the mortars, the commercial PP fibres perform better even at volume fractions as low as 0.1%. These findings show that the recycled fibres can be used to reduce plastic shrinkage cracking behaviour compared to unreinforced materials, while a waste material is being reused, though, a much larger volume fraction of R-PE fibres than of commercially available PP fibres is necessary to achieve a similar effect.

Analysis of the catches in lift net reviewed from operational technique in Krueng Raya Waters, Aceh Besar and Lhok Kruet Waters, Aceh Jaya

Krueng Raya waters in Aceh Besar and Lhok Kruet waters in Aceh Jaya are quiet potential for lift net fishing. Lift net fishermen in both areas have different operational technique and characteristic. This research aimed to describe how lift net operates and to analyze fishing catch of lift net in Krueng Raya and Lhok Kruet waters. This research had been done from October until November 2017 in Lhok Kruet and January 2018 in Krueng Raya. The fishing process was analyzed through onboard observation during fishing operation and interviewing to the lift net’s fishermen. Operational technique and fishing catch composition are the data that would be analyzed in this research. The research result showed differences both of operational technique specifically in the setting process and fishing catch composition of lift nets in Krueng Raya and Lhok Kruet. Lift net setting in Krueng Raya started with lowering the net from abaft while in Lhok Kruet the net will be lowering from the bottom of the chart. The total number of catch in Krueng Raya is 22.890 kg, and Lhok Kruet is 2.400 kg. However, lift net in Krueng Raya only catched squid meanwhile in Lhok Kruet had grouper seed and snapper as their fishing catch.

Fishery in the Tobol-Ishim interfluve in the neolithic and early metal age

Landscapes of the Tobol-Ishim interfluve were not stable in the Holocene and varied from forests and drowned floodplains at the beginning of the V and III millennia BC to steppificated territories with a lowered water level at the beginning of the Atlantic Period and in the middle of the Subboreal Period, which determined the main types of economic activities, one of them was fishing. Changes in hydrological regime of water bodies influenced the methods of fishing, including the use of different traps. Thus, in the Neolithic, when the water level decreased, the location of settlements in the system river-creek-lake (for example, Mergen 6), a large number of fish bones, bone harpoons, fishing spears, fishing tackles for catching pike and a total absence of plummets were indicative of individual fishing for large fish and, perhaps, of stop net fishery, which was facilitated by a decrease in the width of watercourses and tombolos. Stop net (stake net) fishery led to a settled lifestyle of the population, collective activities and the emergence of long-term settlements with deep foundation pits of dwellings. When the water level in rivers and lakes increased and floods became more frequent, the life support system changed, the population began to develop coasts more widely, its mobility increased, and they started to build framed above-ground dwellings. Following those changes, biconic, cigar-shaped, and corniculate plummets emerged in the Tobol River Basin and on the adjacent western and north-western territories in the III and early II millennium BC. When the water level was high, it was efficient to fish using traps, seines and, probably, nets, although the latter could also be used in drive hunting for shedding geese and ducks. Subrectangular plummets with one or two ties for fastening, and disk-shaped plummets with a tie in the center had been prevailing since the beginning of the II millennium BC; they existed until the first third of the I millennium BC. This period, the transition time from the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age, is characterized by the absence of clay plummets, while there are large accumulations of fish scales and bones in the settlement layers. We can suppose that the population of that time (local Late Bronze Age population, mixed with northern migrants who made utensils with cross ornamentation) switched from net fishing to stop net fishing.

Fish Value Chain and Its Impact on Rural Households’ Income: Lessons Learned from Northern Ethiopia

These days, one of the global challenges is the growing demand for food. To be more specific, seafood bases play a key role in filling the nutritional requirements of human beings. In Africa (Ethiopia) the public expenses to improve productive capacity in aquatic food are increasing. Additionally, the expenses in dams and in fishers’ capacity building have increased households’ engagement in the fishery sector in Ethiopia. Cooperatives’ productive capacity has been strengthened by the government and other non-government organizations with the supply of fishing boats, refrigerators, fish nets and other office supplies. However, the effect of such public expenses in bringing changes in the households’ livelihood and welfare has never been assessed in this study area. This paper aims to investigate what motivates the households to fish and assess the effect of fisheries on the households’ livelihood and welfare. A structured survey consisting of 313 rural households was administered using trained enumerators in two kebeles located close to the Tekeze dam, Northern Ethiopia. The result indicates that socioeconomic characteristics, such as age (young), sex, education, and active family size were driving the households to fishing. Access to market and access to support are driving farmers to fisheries. There is a significant difference in fishing households’ income which is higher than non-fishing households. The results also indicate that there are lesser income inequalities among fishery households operating in cooperatives compared to private fishery households.

Fire-resistant hydrophobic nanocoated composite partition sheets

Composite partition sheets were prepared by vacuum infusion process using noncombustible glass fiber and waste nylon along with polyester matrix. The waste nylon materials obtained in the form of discarded fishing nets were reinforced in sheets with T90° orientation. They were then coated using two types of fumed silica nanopowders mixed in polyester resin. Two types of coated and corresponding bare hybrid composite samples were examined for their various properties. Appreciable values for mechanical properties were obtained for all the hybrid sheets which are more pronounced for the nanocoated sheets. Furthermore, horizontal flammability tests proved that the fumed silica-coated sheets have better flame-retardant characteristics. With constant heat flux of 50 W/m2, the specimens were investigated for the peak heat release rate (HRR) and fire reaction properties like total oxygen consumed, average specific mass loss rate, total smoke release, and average HRR which gave good results for the nanocoated sheets. Moreover, water-absorbing properties of the hybrid sheets were generally less and it was better in the case of hydrophobic fumed silica-coated samples. These low cost and less weight composite sheets were successfully developed and the results obtained were encouraging, which can be used as partition sheets in the construction of affordable buildings.

Towards Macroscopic Crystalline 2D Polymers.

Periodic and nanoporous monolayer polymers, the structures of which can be viewed as molecular fishing nets, have been classified as 2D polymers. They have been previously synthesized under mild photoirradiation conditions in the interior of layered single crystals of well-designed monomers, followed by a liquid-phase exfoliation. While these mild conditions allow for full structure control, the size of 2D polymers obtained cannot exceed that of the crystals from which they are prepared. In this Review, we discuss different concepts currently pursued to prepare macroscopically sized 2D polymers, focusing on syntheses at the air-water and liquid-liquid interfaces. While these interfaces are larger reaction loci than single crystals, sheet-like polymers obtained at them pose complex and time-consuming analytical challenges. Some of these challenges are concretely discussed and indicators are provided for identifying the promising cases, enabling to concentrate on them in the future research. Additionally, this Review discusses three representative examples of 2D polymers to provide a state-of-the-art picture of this emerging field of polymer and materials science. Finally, we sketch the range of applications, such as nanomembranes, electronics, optoelectronics, and electrocatalysts for water splitting, that are relevant for these novel organic 2D materials.

ANALYSIS OF FISHERY BIOECONOMIC IN THE EAST COASTAL OF BINTAN ISLAND

The objective of this study is to measure the potential economic value of fisheries in the area of conservation of seagrass meadows on the eastern coast of Bintan island. The result of this study could became a policy input for managing sustaibale fisheries resources. The presence of seagrass ecosystem could support carrying capacity of the surrounding area of seagrass for growing related biotas that associated with the seagrass ecosystem. The number of benefit of seagrass ecosystem could be measured by production surplus approach. The result of analysis shows that the economic value of fisheries of seagrass ecosystem is equal to the fisheries economic IDR 92.73 billion or IDR 558.28 million hectare-1 year-1 in 2016. The maximum economic yield (MEY) of this artisanal fisheries is 5032 ton year-1 with the number of effort should be maintained at 5281 trip of net fishing gear. A sustainable fisheries management should be maintained in the level of harvest and effort in MEY condition in order to give a maximum benefit to the fishermen and sustaible to the fisheries. Keywords: seagrass ecoystem, seagrass fisheries, bioeconomic of seagrass fisheries, eastern coast of Bintan island, maximum economic yield

Paradigm Shift in Fishing Technology of Chilika: The Largest Brackish Water Wetland of Asia

Chilika is the largest brackish water wetland of Asia and well known for its fish and fisheries. Traditional fishing methods in Chilika were of specific characters and endemic in nature and quite different from the fishing practices found in other parts of the country. With change in time and advancement of technology, the materials being used have been changed though methods of fishing are almost similar. The traditional fishing methods were (1) Bahani (net fishing), (2) Jano fishing (enclosure fishery), (3) Dian fishery (peripheral fishery near Jano), (4) Uthapani fishery (catching of landward moving fishes during early monsoon) and Prawn khati (trap fishery). Modern fishing gears like Khanda (filament twine net box), Gill net, Drag net, Almi net (boat seine), Hooks and line, Cast net, Bag net and various traps are in operation in the lagoon, replacing the traditional fishing gear. Out of the new fishing gears few are detrimental to the fisheries of the Chilika. Suitable policy guidelines may be implemented for regulating the mesh size and the operational area for improving the fisheries resources of Chilika.

MORPHOLOGICAL MAPPING OF THE BOTTOM OF MESOLOGGI LAGOON WITH THE USE OF ASTRONAUT PHOTOGRAPHY AND GIS

Mesologi lagoon is a large and shallow environment with intense fish farming applications and the consequent enclosing of very large areas with fish fences and nets, which make field mapping almost impossible. Anthropogenic influence is eminent and a recent and updated morphological map was necessary. A mapping technique is presented based on the use of astronaut photography that is distributed freely by the Internet site of NASA. The digital photograph was geometrically corrected, visually, as semi transparent layer over a scanned map image by the use of PHOTOSHOP software. The areas of known depth were used to classify the depths of the lagoon with the PHOTOSHOP tool "replace color". An image therefore was produce with the depths classified as solid colors. This image was used as base map in MAPINFO, to produce a digital map in GIS environment, where all anthropogenic influence and depths (as depth ranges) are exist as separate layers and reveal the morphological background of the lagoon. The GIS map was used to calculate the water volume of the lagoon and the changes of the volume, as the sea level fluctuates with the tide. The depth-volume diagram was created and shows that during low water (-30cm) the volume is reduced by 43%, in contrast an increase of only 12% when sea level become 30cm higher. This is the result of the construction of peripheral embankments that restricts extension of the lagoon in high water. The implication of this situation is that the water renewal is restricted when sea level is kept high by a barometric low or an onshore wind, in contrast to very good renewal time when sea level is kept low by a barometric high.

Assessment of marine debris in the stake net fisheries of Vembanad Lake, Kerala, India

The stake net fishery of Panambukad in the main channel area of Vemband Lake, Kerala was studied during the first fortnight of August 2014. The observations indicated that the average catch including the marine debris ranged from 1.04 to 2.04 kg net-1 day-1 with an average of 1.34 kg net-1 day-1. The percentage of marine debris in the stake nets ranged from 42.68 to 73.4%. Plastic items formed 97% by weight and 99% by number of the total marine litter. The observed litter stuff was categorized as per UNEP system of classification of marine litter where, they are first identified based on their material composition (litter codeeg. PL) and then by their form (RL classes). Items found in the collection included plastic covers (PL07, RL15), metal cap (ME02, RL01), plastic bottle (PL02, RL02), fishing net (PL20, RL05), plastic cup and food containers (PL06, RL09), thermocol (FP 04, RL13), rubber sheet (RB05, RL28), plastic sacks (PL24, RL23), diaper (OT02, RL18) etc. Among them, plastic covers were most dominant and their average number and weight net-1 day-1 was 28 nos and 985 g respectively. The study also showed positive signs of decline in plastic bottles as a major litter item due to its targeted collection by recycling industry within a span of three years. In a survey conducted among the stake net fishers, there was consensus on the view that plastic litter in Vembanad Lake has increased during the last 10 years and this has affected the resources and the fishery. The stakeholders also expressed their willingness to pay for restoration of the fishery resources of the lake. The study recommends the need to establish proper solid waste management systems in coastal villages, to reduce the use of plastics, and provide facilities for disposal of litter which gets collected in stake nets and to increase the awareness among the public about the impacts of marine debris on ecosystem and resources.

Elements of fishing community resilience to climate change in the coastal zone of Bangladesh

Resilience has been conceptualized in various ways by anthropologists, ecologists, systems scientists and engineers; the boundaries of resilience are subjective and context dependent. Consequently, choosing the standards and metrics for assessing resilience remains key challenges for policy makers. In this study, using multicriteria evaluation of 40 basic criteria of human, physical, financial, natural and social assets, we have identified several elements, such as experienced fishermen, natural abundance of hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha), ability to assert decision on fish selling, nets and boats ownership, social harmony and capacity of buying food as essential livelihood assets for the fishermen at Hatiya Island, Bangladesh. These assets may enhance the relative resilience of the fishing community of the island to climate change by as much as 20–40%. The results of this study will improve our understanding of the elements that lead to resilience at the community level.

Widespread mosquito net fishing in the Barotse floodplain: Evidence from qualitative interviews.

BackgroundThe insecticide-treated mosquito net (ITN) is a crucial component of malaria control programs, and has prevented many malaria cases and deaths due to scale up. ITNs also serve effectively as fishing nets and various sources have reported use of ITNs for fishing. This article examines how widespread the practice of mosquito net fishing with ITNs is.MethodsWe conducted in-depth interviews with fishery personnel and traditional leadership from the Barotse Royal Establishment in Western Province, Zambia, to better understand the presence or absence of the use of ITNs as fishing nets. We then coded the interviews for themes through content analysis. Additionally we conducted a desk review of survey data to show trends in malaria indicators, nutritional status of the population and fish consumption.ResultsAll those interviewed reported that ITNs are regularly used for fishing in Western Zambia and the misuse is widespread. Concurrently those interviewed reported declines in fish catches both in terms of quantity and quality leading to threatened food security in the area. In addition to unsustainable fishing practices those interviewed referenced drought and population pressure as reasons for fishery decline. Malaria indicators do not show a trend in declining malaria transmission, fish consumption has dropped dramatically and nutritional status has not improved over time.ConclusionsDespite the misuse of the ITNs for fishing all those interviewed maintained that ITN distribution should continue. Donors, control programs and scientists should realize that misuse of ITNs as fishing nets is a current problem for malaria control and potentially for food security that needs to be addressed.