Fishing communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) celebrate Fishing Day on 24 June every year. Kinsevere’s Social Development team joined the Mumanga and Pengele communities to celebrate this day by first catching fish and then holding a special sale of Tilapia in the village and on site to MMG employees.

With the numbers of fish becoming depleted in rivers around the world, the local communities, with assistance from the Social Development team, are looking to find sustainable solutions, to ensure this valuable food source remains intact. Kinsevere engaged a fish farming specialist who recommended the harvesting of Tilapia, given its characteristics as an herbivorous species with low environmental impact, as part of a pilot project.

Today, Kinsevere is promoting fish farming in the neighbouring communities where 43 ponds were developed in six communities.

“This project allows us to promote another way of developing local small business, and at the same time we are raising the awareness of the challenges of sustainable fishing to children, consumers and farmers,” said Nyota Mwamba, fish farm specialist.

At each pond the team visited, harvesting or fishing is a family business with everyone participating including parents, children, grandchildren, uncles, aunts and grandparents.

Eager to continue serving quality fish to his guests, Chief Pengele from Pengele village, and nearly Mumanga village, is among the first to have committed to the new project when it arrived in his village last year.

“We now offer fish from sustainable fisheries and it is thanks to MMG who asked us to create our own fish ponds,” said Chief Pengele.

“In this period, I’m waiting for my maize crop harvest, but I can also make money with fish. I do not empty all my ponds, I only take big fish. All the little ones are returned to the water.

Kinsevere was able to teach us the key concepts of sustainable fishing by accompanying weekly fishermen,” said Chief Pengele.

“To ensure we have a steady and sustainable supply of fish, our habits must change. We can now see that this understanding is shared by all of the participants. I’m happy to see that this third site has understood that,” said Nyota Mwamba.

World Fisheries Day helps highlight the critical importance of human life, water and the lives it supports, in and out of the water.