Aciano Lipangue, Mozambique
We are a country linked to the sea. Our histories as a coastal people are all tied to the sea. We maintain our cultural heritage and loyal roots to the secular ancestral practices. Our histories comprise gastronomy, fishing, sea sports, and traditional beliefs all tied to the Indian Ocean that borders our country to the east.
Some practices include the usage of seawater for ritual purification of spirits, in art people make decorative objects from shells. In gastronomy, we have traditional seafood dishes. The Indian Ocean is therefore a worthy resource used both by local coastal communities as well as the largest world economies as the means of transport for international trading.
Amongst the diversities of usage of the ocean waters, I have decided to bring out the stories of Chicocota, a traditional fishing gear used on the coast of Mozambique. Chicocota is a cone-shaped net of about 15 to 17 meters long, composed of buoys, weights, ropes, cuttings, and a bag covered by raffia or mosquito netting. The gear is generally fixed in places with water currents to catch the fish. This fishing practice was first introduced in the city of Beira by Chinese fishermen in the 1980s and it expanded throughout the coast, especially on estuaries and river deltas. In the local language “Chicocota” means “cleans everything”, since this fishing gear catches almost everything that enters the nets.
Photograph 1: Trawling in Quelimane involving children in collecting small species escaping from the nets.
Photograph 2: Decorative objects made from shells, which were found in Mozambique Island.
Chicocota is a destructive fishing gear for marine biodiversity since it is not selective in its operations due to the size of the mesh used, generally consisting of 0.5-inch nets or mosquito nets. It is constructed with nets shaped conical or pyramidal, which are attached to wooden or iron stakes, and buoys. It is fixed at low tide to the substrate using wooden or iron stakes and positioned against the current, throughout the period of spring tide. The nets are kept open by weights placed at the lower end of the opening and by buoys or homemade floats at the upper end. Fish harvesting is often easier, as nets are accessed on foot at low tide, although, in many cases, the catches are collected by one or two fishermen, using a canoe with a hollowed-out trunk.
Aside from endangering the marine environment, in December of 2018 I realized that this fishing gear also can threaten human life at sea. I was onboard a six meters long hydrographic surveying boat when the Chicocota placed our life at risk. The Lago Niassa boat was speeding at 20 knots from data collection along the Macuti Channel outside the city of Beira. It was close to the sandbank when the engine got stuck and a large ocean wave hurled the boat to the sandbank because Chicocota got into the 150-horsepower engine. Since the tide was very low, we stayed almost the whole night waiting for the next spring tide at 3 AM. Fortunately, no one sustained injuries, but the accident is still a nightmare for me, and it always comes to my mind when I recall my ocean stories. This story is a “red blinking light” for sailors to be cautious when sailing in the hotspot areas of Chicocota fishing gear. Out of conflicting with the ecological conservation practices, this fishing gear deserves to be banned since it does not safeguard human nor marine life at sea.
“Journeys to the Sea” is a new series of inspiring stories that highlight the personal connections of marine professionals with the ocean. As a follow up to World Oceans Day on June 8th, WIOMSA is excited to launch a three-month-long celebration dedicated to the ocean. The series will feature 34 unique stories from across the Western Indian Ocean region. These stories will share firsthand accounts of ocean-related experiences, reflections, and narratives from participants who have been part of the Sida-funded International Training Programme on marine spatial planning, “Planning for a Sustainable Blue Future in the Western Indian Ocean”. The stories have been part of the Ocean Storytelling component of the workshop, led by Dr Mia Strand, Nelson Mandela University. Read the collection of stories here.
Feature photo: Beach seine © Jason Rubens and Farrrol, Fisheries Co Management in Mozambique: Lessons from the Artisanal Fisheries and Climate Change Project.
