The Upper Zambezi River above Victoria Falls is free-flowing and supports vast wetland systems, including the Kabompo River, Liuwa Plains and Barotse Floodplains. These areas are still in a pristine or near-natural state for the most part but are under increasing pressure from unsustainable infrastructure development. The WWF Upper Zambezi Landscape Programme aims to enhance the management of ecosystems at a landscape level through responsible planning of water use and protection from unsustainable development. One of the components of the project is the fisheries within these landscapes and the livelihoods they support. Aquatic Ecosystem Services began implementing a biannual electronic catch monitoring program in the Barotse and Kabompo Landscapes in October 2019 to gather baseline information on the fisheries in the data poor area. This information is to be used to inform management decisions and conservation initiatives based on a weighted evidence approach.

AES designed a tablet based electronic Catch Assessment Survey (eCAS) for each of the WWF Upper Zambezi Landscapes. The tablet eCAS system allows for offline data collection and data syncing to a cloud based platform when network access allows. The CAS data is maintained in an online webdatabase which allows managers and fisheries officers access to data and key reporting indicators in near real-time. AES undertook an initial ‘Train the Trainers’ workshop during which time, key WWF team members and Department of Fisheries staff were introduced to the system and trained in how to use it. AES continue to provide backstopping support and data management for the programme.

 
The program collects long-term data on harvest, species compositions, and other important fisheries data. This program represents the first large-scale, long-term fisheries monitoring program in the Kabompo River system and the first on the Barotse Floodplain for several decades. The engagement and training of local community members and collaboration with local partners WWF-Zambia and the Zambian Department of Fisheries have facilitated the project’s success. To date, more than 7000 catch interviews have been completed across the two landscapes.