With over 5,000 km of coastline, Madagascar has immense fishery resources. In the Menabe region, human activities and natural disasters threaten coastal ecosystems, and overfishing in certain areas is leading to a decline in fishing yields. With the support of Louvain Coopération and the Organisme Public de Coopération Intercommunale (OPCI), local communities in the Tsiribihina delta have set up temporary fishing reserves for the sustainable management of marine resources.
In Madagascar, the fishing sector is dominated by traditional and artisanal fishing, which employs an estimated 102,000 people across the country. Fishing products are used in part to feed family members, but above all they generate valuable income. In western and southwestern Madagascar, an estimated 95% of households in coastal villages depend primarily on this sector. Extreme poverty persists among this segment of the population, affecting more than 70% of traditional fishermen.
In Menabe, migration caused by repeated droughts in the south of the country is increasing demographic pressure on the coast and, consequently, on natural resources. The use of non-compliant fishing nets (with meshes that are too small) and the destruction of mangroves for household wood needs further threaten the environment. Furthermore, the risks associated with climate change and the increase in the number of natural disasters in the region (cyclones, floods) are exacerbating this fragile situation. This situation is resulting in a decline in fishing yields, stagnation or even a reduction in catches, and a change in the composition of catches in terms of species and size.