Okavango fishermen fret over new regulations

New fishing regulations kick
New fishing regulations kick

MAUN: Fishermen fear that government’s control of their sector will hamper the emerging commercial fishing industry in the country. Their concerns come in the wake of the introduction of new fishing regulations, which are set to kick in from today.

In 2014, the government banned fishing at Lake Ngami -- Botswana’s biggest fishery -- a move that sent hundreds of fishermen out of business. Since the closure, the helpless fishermen had watched tonnes of fish rotting and going to waste at the drying lake.

In an interview, the disgruntled fishermen accused the government of harbouring plans to close down the fishing industry under the pretext of conservation. This comes after government instituted new fishing regulations, which will reduce the amount of fish that can be caught in rivers and lakes. The regulations will come into effect on April 1. The fishermen are particularly irked by a section in the new regulations that requires them to use a 25-metre fishing net, instead of a 150-metre one as was the case before.

Editor's Comment
Congratulations Anicia Gaothuse!

The contest had 10 beautiful young girls as finalists and unfortunately only one could wear the crown.The judges picked Anicia Gaothuse. To all those who feel their contestant should have won ahead of Anicia for whatever reason, hardly; the judges found Anicia to be the best among the best, so desist from disrespecting our newly crowned queen on social media or anywhere else, for that matter! Each of the 10 beautiful young women had supporters...

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