Since the lagoon became full of vegetation, it has become equally difficult to catch fish, a situation that has forced these artisans to raise their sales prices. Those who find themselves dealing with this situation are the product resellers.
Fishermen from the town of Mazozo, municipality of Icolo and Bengo, province of Luanda, have complained, in recent times, of having little income, as a result of few catches, as the local lagoon where they carry out their fishing activity is currently located in full of vegetation. “Since last year, when it began to rain a lot, in the interior of the country and here, in Luanda, the Kwanza River is almost always full and, when it overflows, part of the water and plants end up here in the lagoon, where they grow non-stop. , taking the place of water, which complicates all our work”, said Joaquim Simão, one of the oldest fishermen in the area.
For him, the difficulty begins with moving the canoe, which has to pass through the plants, opening as much path as possible, until reaching the water part, where most of the schools of catfish, cacusso and poplar can also be found. Then, fishermen have to carefully measure the space where they should place their nets so that they are not tangled with vegetation, as the intention is to have them for other catches.
Because of this, there are those who simply choose to fish with a hook, hoping that the conditions in the lake will improve. The fisherman Gaston, as he is affectionately treated among the Mazozo fish dealers, recognizes that the vegetation helps to reinforce the conditions for reproduction, feeding and growth of the fish, but then complains that the plants do not facilitate their fishing. to catch big fish. Because of these and other difficulties they face daily, the lake’s catchers have raised the prices of fish.
“Now we are able to sell five medium cacusses for a thousand or 1,500 Kwanzas, when before they might sell for less than 500. Catfish, if large, can cost between 500 and 750 Kwanzas. As for the choupa, as it is the most sought following, its price is higher than those I gave”, detailed fisherman Gaston. Asked if the increase in the cost of fish does not give them some relief, Joaquim Simão clarified that the quantity caught does not give them this enjoyment.
Selling with the calculator helps to reinforce the conditions for reproduction, feeding and growth of fish, but then complains that the plants do not make it easier for them to catch large fish. Because of these and other difficulties they face daily, the lake’s catchers have raised the prices of fish.
“Now we are able to sell five medium cacusses for a thousand or 1,500 Kwanzas, when before they might sell for less than 500. Catfish, if large, can cost between 500 and 750 Kwanzas. As for the choupa, as it is the most sought following, its price is higher than those I gave”, detailed fisherman Gaston. Asked if the increase in the cost of fish does not give them some relief, Joaquim Simão clarified that the quantity caught does not give them this enjoyment. Sell with a calculator in your hands
This situation also complicates the daily calculations of fish sellers, who began to tax their sales at twice the rate of acquisition. On the morning of Monday, the 11th, of this report, more than 20 fish dealers, commonly known as fishmongers, were sitting on the edge of the lake waiting for an opportunity to buy the product, in the quantity and at the expected cost.
Dona Gia was one of those ladies, who never stopped looking in the direction of fishermen’s embarkation and disembarkation, until, with a push from her colleague, they managed to ‘date’ fisherman Manuel Paciência, who, having just come from the vicinity of Caxicane , brought cacussos and large catfish.
The other ladies simply waited for their fishermen, as they made clear to the reporting team, so as not to buy the fish at high costs. The fishmongers talked regarding the difficulties they have in reselling the fish in the markets of Kilometer 30, Catete-sede and in the commercial points of Kilometer 44. To respond to this situation, many of them revealed that they had opted to sell to previously contacted customers.
Fishing beyond the lake
José Daniel “Zeca” chose to fish outside the usual areas, having started to explore areas of the lagoon where there were no fishermen present. These are areas close to some mines. In these places, at least, he manages to capture small fish, which allows him to not return from a journey without any product.
“These are areas that we didn’t care regarding before, because they only had small fish, but, currently, we need to save our working days, contenting ourselves with this catch”, confessed fisherman Zeca, who does not rule out the possibility that he and his colleagues are compromising the growth of fish. With their current daily earnings, fishermen try to cover their families’ basic needs, namely food, clothing, school materials and household utensils, as stated.
