Dahari keeps the fishing

The local associations Malezi Mema, Maecha Bora and Fikira Ndjema organized their third reopening of fishing on the Vassy reef flat on February 13 in collaboration with Dahari supported by our partner Blue Ventures, attracting more than 700 fishermen from the region who came to enjoy of the abundance of octopuses. The initiative took root in 2018 and has continued to evolve over time. Narrative.

This morning of Saturday February 13, 2021, the Vassy flat is crowded with fishermen from the villages of the region who have come to participate in this rather special miraculous fishing. 1630 kilos of octopus were sampled during this single day instead of around 500 kilos per day normally. This is the incredible toll of the catches that the fishermen made in a few hours – and only those who agreed to have their loot weighed – even though access to the flat had been closed for just three months.

The first fishing closure took place in 2018 and things have evolved significantly since then. Launched at the initiative of three local associations of fishermen, their success reflects local collaboration which has managed to become structured over time. If the association of boat fishermen Malezi Mema was already active before the project, the associations of women fishermen on foot Maecha Bora and Fikira Ndjema were born with the support of Dahari which has been working in these areas since 2016. Exchange visits in Madagascar in 2017 and in Zanzibar in 2018 inspired village women to create the first community association of women fishermen on the island: Maecha Bora. It was during the same year that the first fishing closure was also organized in Anjouan.

The advantage of closing access to octopus fishing for three months lies in the fact that this species experiences exponential growth beyond two months while they only grow very little during their first weeks of life. Beyond these first eight weeks of necessary respite, they can double their weight each month. Proof that the method works: the octopuses caught when they reopen have on average a mass twice as large as those caught before closing.

Since then, local associations have united to improve these initiatives and become more efficient. If the ban on fishing ntsontso (metal rod that destroys the natural environment) for the benefit of mwiri (wooden stick) was put in place during the first closure, the measure aimed at preventing fishing for octopus weighing less than 500 grams was introduced during the last closure. It ensures that the octopuses have actually reached maturity before being fished. Adaptations were also made to site monitoring to ensure compliance with regulations. From now on, it is the women who observe the plat during the day, while the men are responsible for the night.

The success was so great that two closures were organized for the year 2020 alone. The first took place between January and April while the second saw date adjustments to cover the best reproduction period and the area also been optimized. And this February 13, the figures once again spoke for themselves: 4,5 kg of total catch on average per fisherman (i.e. more than twice a normal catch), the largest octopus caught weighs more than 7,5 kg and a fisherman achieved the feat of catching 24 kg of octopus in this single day. The results, normally communicated to communities during public meetings (impossible due to Covid), will be shared via flyers prepared by Dahari.

The initiative is even a victim of its success, despite the efforts of the inhabitants of Vassy, Dzindri, Salamani and Imere to limit communication on the reopening date to the surrounding areas. The increasingly large influx of fishermen from more distant villages who want to benefit from their efforts has an impact on the sustainability of the benefits of these closures for the populations involved. Solutions are being studied to ensure that this phenomenon is controlled and allow the villages involved to make the most of their initiative. And the co-organizers of the event do not intend to stay there, however: in order to intensify their commitment to the protection of the region's marine resources, a permanent reserve zone is being set up off the coast of Vassy. Another good reason to keep fishing!