Fishing Closure Pays Off for Communities in Madagascar

On April 7, 2020, it was all smiles for members of the community-managed Ambodivahibe Marine Protected Area (MPA) and surrounding communities in North East Madagascar following a record octopus catch at the conclusion of the annual three-month voluntary fishing closure.

The 15 villages within the 39,764-hectare MPA and neigbouring Locally-Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) harvested 20,000 kilograms (44,092 pounds) of octopus after resuming fishing; the catch was the highest in the area’s history. Last year, they harvested 13,000 kilograms (28,660 pounds), while in 2011 when the fishing closures begun with the support of Conservation International (CI), they got 670 kilograms (1,477 pounds) though the number of participating villages were also fewer. This year’s annual fishing closure begun on January 1st to give octopuses and other marine species an opportunity to nest and grow.

“This is a big day for us and we are very happy about the huge catch. The sea feeds us. We have to secure food for ourselves and for our future generations by preserving our seas and our environment and by managing our fishing resources,” said Justin Kinkou, Vice-President of the MITAFA Platform, an association of fishermen in Ambodivahibe.

Ambodivahibe Bay, which was officially designated a community MPA in 2015 after six years of LMMA status, covers areas of high importance for marine biodiversity as established by a 2006 CI-led marine Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) survey. It’s also an important fishing grounds for local communities.

“Since communities begun implementing sustainable management of their marine areas in Ambodivahibe, they’ve seen a significant increase in size and quantity of octopuses and other marine species that they catch. This means better livelihoods for them and stronger support for the MPA,” said Dr. Luciano Andriamaro, CI Madagascar’s Director of Science and Knowledge.

Apart from the fishing closures, the communities are also using appropriately-sized nets to catch mature fish and enforcing no-takeoff areas. They also patrol the MPA regularly to ward off unregulated fishing and monitor the health of mangroves, coral reefs, sea turtles and sea birds among others.

CI has provided patrol boats, life jackets and other equipment to aid coastal monitoring; goats as an alternative livelihood to cushion families during periods of fishing closures; as well as promoting ecotourism and access to markets for marine products. Last year, CI funded a cold chain system for fish storage in Ambodivahibe that’s powered by solar energy, with excess electricity lighting two villages and powering additional businesses including yoghurt and ice cream production.

“Aware of the advantages that the three villages of Ivovona, Ambavarano and Ampondrahazo receive in the management of fisheries and marine resources, the fishermen of the southern part of the protected area of Ambodivahibe decided to protect and manage their resources and asked CI to support them in its implementation. Thirteen other villages have joined this initiative,” said Dr. Andriamaro.

Photos: ©Jomazandry Patrick