Find Fisheries expertise in Swaziland

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries contribute 11% of Swaziland’s GDP (2007). While the contribution of fisheries alone has not been estimated, but is likely to be negligible. Swaziland is landlocked and has no access to the sea, and while there are no significant natural lakes swamps or floodplains, there is fairly high, though un-developed potential for fisheries in dams and fishponds throughout the country. As a result, the fisheries sector is completely inland and relatively small. However, there are a number of dams including the Hendrick Van Eck, Luphohlo, Maguga, Mkimkomo, Mnjoli and Sand River Dams.

Swaziland does not export fishery products, and almost all fish with economic value are imported from neighbouring countries.

The two major sub-sectors include capture fisheries and aquaculture.

Capture fisheries is very small, but is an important source of food for some poor communities. The most commercially important fish species are tilapia and catfish, while species that are targeted for sport include largemouth bass, rainbow trout and tiger fish.

Aquaculture on the other hand is actively supported by government, and is practiced in fishponds that are on average 200m² of which in 2007 there were about 40. The most important species farmed include tilapia, catfish, rainbow trout, and the common carp.

The Fisheries Division (FD) within the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is responsible for fisheries. The FD is divided into two units: the Fisheries Management Unit (FMU) and the Fish Farming Unit (FFU). The mandate of the Fisheries Department is to ensure an optimal and sustainable exploitation of the country’s fisheries resources and to promote the consumption of fish at both household and national levels in order to enhance national food security. A Fisheries policy is currently being developed and is estimated to be ready by the end of 2010. The main legislative instruments are the Freshwater Fisheries Act and the Freshwater Fisheries Regulation, both of the 1937, thus out of date. Other legislation relevant to fisheries is the Environmental Management Act of, 2002 and the Water Act of 2003.