FISHERIES DEPARTMENT LOBBIES PEOPLE NOT TO EAT FISH SEEN FLOATING AS LAKE MALAWI TURNS GREEN

The Department of Fisheries in the country has called on the people living in the lakeshore areas to prevent eating fish seen floating following the turning green of Lake Malawi.

The development according to the department follows heavy winds on the lake which has been making strides for over a fortnight.

Research that fisheries experts conducted shows that the greening which is caused by a phytoplankton bloom of cyan bacteria is toxic and can when swallowed in large volumes, be dangerous to fish and humans.

A similar incident however occurred in 1999 and 2013, according to the experts.

In the two incidents, fish died but fisheries officials say this is yet to happen this time around.

According to the Director of Fisheries Friday Njaya, the department has started sensitizing communities in lakeshore to the issue.

“Persistent southeasterly winds coupled with low water temperatures during this time of the year induce mixing of nutrient-rich bottom waters, especially in the southern part of the lake,” he said.

Njaya has since advised people not to consume dead fish seen floating on the lake.

While a similar occasion, Natural Resources Minister Nancy Tembo, writing on her Facebook page, corroborated reports of the greening incident, adding: “The greening of the water should fade away within a week or two.”

Salima, Mangochi, and Likoma are some of the districts that have been affected by the trend.