The WCS Project Assistant Jorge Sitoe, Naseeba Sidat and WCS Technical Advisor Brian Smith and InOM-Zambezia technician Dionisio Pires accompanied by the CCP representative, conducted an 18-day mission between June 10 and 28, 2024, in Zalala Beach and generating plans for implementing a support project to foster more sustainable fishing practices.
The mission encompassed mapping fishing patterns along the Zalala Beach coastline, diagnostic studies to assess the current situation of the fishing community, and interviews with fishers' representatives. Furthermore, nine interviews were held with fishers' representatives utilizing surface gillnets to acquire baseline information and engage fishers in preliminary tests of LED lights in gillnets to reduce the entanglement of protected marine fauna at Zalala Beach.
Fishing patterns mapping exercises. From left to right: Brian Smith from WCS, Dionísio Pires from InOM, fishers from Sopinho and Ilha de Idugo and the CCP representative.
These efforts are continuation from WCS focus on enhancing the participation of Zalala Beach communities in decision-making and managing their fishing areas, aiming to instill a sense of responsibility and ownership in the community.
Group photo with the fishers' representatives who participated in the fishing patterns mapping exercises and interviews.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has collaborated with local entities in Zalala since 2018. Recent data from landing site surveys highlighted the area's significance for sharks and rays, revealing substantial catches of juvenile critically endangered species in 2018 and 2022.