The World Bank has recently determined that Malawi is the poorest country in the world with an average annual GDP per capita of around $250. About 90% of Malawians rely on subsistence farming for their food source and because families are continuing to grow at alarming rates, many suffer from malnutrition. At around 3 000 000 years old, Malawi’s greatest resource is Lake Malawi which spans borders with Tanzania in the north and Mozambique in the east. Out of the 15 million residents, 500 000 rely on the lake fisheries industry for employment with over 50 000 being artisanal fisherman. In fact reports estimate that over 80% of the total catch in the lake is derived from artisanal fisherman. Lake Malawi has many types of cichlid fish with one type being the ‘chambo’ which is a group of tilapia species. Chambo has historically generated the highest values of all other fisheries in the lake but has been on a steady decline for the past 25 years. Presently, the Usipa fishery (a lake sardine) has risen steadily from 20 000 metric tonnes (20% of the catch) in the 90s to around 70 000 metric tonnes presently (comprising around 80%) of the total catch. There are many potential threats to the ecosystem of Lake Malawi including overfishing, habitat loss, changing water conditions, and pollutants. For part of my research, I will investigate this question of why the usipa have seemingly taken over and specifically look at microbes in the water column and how they have changed in the past 10 years. Usipa eat algae and small aquatic bugs which I will quantify and evaluate genetically. To combat overfishing in the lake and food shortages inland, there have been many efforts to promote fish farming. Fish farming allows families to supplement their farming activities and generate an added value to their land use. Fish farming also will enable countries to meet demand for seafood.
In the 1800s, missionaries from the United Kingdom, most notably Dr. Livingstone, came to Malawi to share the good news of Jesus Christ. These missionaries were responsible for ending slavery and starting the first schools and hospitals. The giant tree in the picture is where Dr. Livingstone would meet with the indigenous tribes and the houses were where they stayed. The tiny colorful fish in the picture are a few of the many types of cichlids located at this National Park. These areas are now a World Heritage Site and are protected.
J. MINICH
Fish Farm 