Friday, March 29, 2024

Fisheries officers grab fish from traders following ban, but Minister orders them to give it back

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 Central Province Minister Obvious Mwaliteta
Central Province Minister Obvious Mwaliteta

OFFICERS from Fisheries in Kabwe yesterday swung into action and confiscated fish from traders at Kamanda market. The officers confiscated the fish following the fish ban that was effected on December 1 2013.

Some traders who had their fish confiscated complained over the development saying it was not fair that they had their merchandise taken from them without clear explanation.

The traders said their fish was old stock which they had ordered way before the fish ban was implemented on December 1 this year. They said that the officers had no right to collect their fish as it was not caught after the fish ban but before.

Addressing the marketers Kabwe mayor Moses Mwansa called on the traders to remain calm as he would consult the provincial Minister on the way forward.

And when contacted for a comment Central Province Minister Obvious Mwaliteta said it was unfortunate that the fishery officers were confiscating fish from the markets instead of carrying out patrols near the rivers.

Mr Mwaliteta advised the officers to mount road blocks near the rivers so that they would be able to monitor the fish which is been caught in areas where the fish ban has been instituted. ‘I am advising the officers to control the fish flow near the rivers that have effected the fish ban through mounting road blocks’, Mr Mwaliteta said.

Mr Mwaliteta has since called on the officers to give back the fish that had been confiscated from the marketers. He said it is difficult to know which fish was illegally acquired and which was not, hence the need to patrol the rivers.

Mr Mwaliteta added that it was not wise for the fishery officers to conduct patrols in town but should instead patrol the rivers to safe guard the fish in the rivers.

12 COMMENTS

  1. government should stop employing dull officers a fishing ban, is not a fish selling ban. traders can stock pile fish for selling during the ban period. traders should sue the government for loss of business and malicious action intended to cause mental torture.

  2. On this one I am with the minister. The fisheries department might as well start riding houses for fish. Fish ban doesn’t mean “sale ban” if so then there should be “eat-fish ban.”

  3. what is total water coverage by rivers are in Zambia and how many fisheries officer are employed to patrol these rivers?

    Officers were wrong, because most fish come from sewerage especially the dark breams.
    Just let them sell.

  4. Fisheries Officers acted within the law. If you read the Fisheries Act properly it prohibits two activities during the fishing ban i.e. fishing and trading in fish without a certificate of origin of fish. If the traders had a certificate of origin of fish and their fish was confiscated, then the officers were wrong. Salted fish should be declared at the beginning of the fish ban.

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