A Social Analysis of Contested Fishing Practices in Lake Victoria, Tanzania”
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Propositions 1. Fishing on Lake Victoria is impossible without engaging in asymmetrical (unequal) power relationships with financiers (this thesis). 2. Fishing in Lake Victoria is an activity embedded in networksrather than an individual activity- because ownership of resources, action and processes are vested in network of actors larger than the individual (this thesis). 3. Power is not given, it is attributed to people (Habermas, 1977; Social Research 44:3- 24) 4. Markets for fish are not simply a question of demand and supply; they are far more complex than assumed (Medard et al. 2015) 5. A person who stands for nothing will fall for nothing. 6. It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable. Propositions belonging to the PhD thesis entitled: A social analysis of contested fishing practices in Lake Victoria, Tanzania”. Modesta Medard Ntara Wageningen, 23 February 2015. A social analysis of contested fishing practices in Lake Victoria, Tanzania Modesta Medard Ntara THESIS COMMIT TEE Promotor Prof. dr. ir. H. van Dijk Professor of Law and Governance for Africa Wageningen University Co-promotors Dr. P. Hebinck Sociology of Development and Change group Dr R. Mwaipopo Department of Sociology and Anthropology University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Other members Prof. Dr. A. Thorpe, University of Portsmouth, UK Prof. dr. E. Frankema, Wageningen University Dr. M. Bavinck, University of Amsterdam Dr. J. Beuving, Radboud University Nijmegen This research was conducted under the auspices of the Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS) ii A social analysis of contested fishing practices in Lake Victoria, Tanzania Modesta Medard Ntara Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctor at Wageningen University by the authority of the Rector Magnificus Prof. dr. M.J. Kropff in the presence of the Thesis Committee appointed by the Academic Board to be defended in public on Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at 16.00 p.m. in the Aula iii Modesta Medard Ntara A social analysis of contested fishing practices in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, 272 pages. PhD Thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, NL (2015) With references, with summaries in Dutch and English ISBN 978 94 6257-247-8 iv Table of Contents Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... x List of Tables ........................................................................................................................ x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................. xiii CHAPTER 1 DEFINING AND EXAMINING LAKE VICTORIA .................................... 1 1.1 Introduction: positioning the thesis ............................................................................ 1 1.2 Discourses on Lake Victoria’s fishery dynamics ...................................................... 2 1.2.1 The overfishing discourse ..................................................................................... 2 1.2.2 Eutrophication ........................................................................................................ 3 1.2.3 Native species disappear ....................................................................................... 3 1.2.4 The role of markets and politics ........................................................................... 4 1.2.5 Nile Perch as saviour ............................................................................................. 4 1.3 Unpacking the arena: a methodological framework ................................................ 5 1.3.1 Unpacking Lake Victoria ....................................................................................... 7 1.4.1 Research objectives and research questions ..................................................... 21 1.4.2 Problem statement ................................................................................................ 21 1.4.3 The study objectives and research questions ................................................... 22 1.4.4 Methods of data collection and sampling procedure .......................................... 22 (a) Selection of the study site and recruitment of participants ............................... 22 (b) Research methods and information collection procedure ................................. 28 (c) Data processing and analysis ................................................................................. 31 (d) Post-Fieldwork qualitative data analysis ............................................................. 31 (e) Ethical consideration ............................................................................................... 32 (f) Limitations in data collection and information gathering.................................. 33 1.5 Structure of the thesis ................................................................................................. 34 CHAPTER 2 RECONFIGURING LAKE VICTORIA’S RESOURCES AND TRANSFORMATION OF ITS FISHERIES OVER TIME .................................................. 35 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 35 v 2.2 Lake Victoria essentials .............................................................................................. 35 2.3 Market driven fishery: examples from Nile Perch import ban, eco-labelling and slot size measures .............................................................................................................. 43 2.4 Trends in Dagaa export and its establishment ........................................................ 44 2.5 Management transformation: co-management - a global response ..................... 45 2.5.1 Who is to participate in managing the lake? .................................................... 47 2.6 Summary of the chapter ............................................................................................. 48 CHAPTER 3 FISHING AS A SOCIAL PRACTICE .......................................................... 49 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 49 3.2 Locating societal transformation ............................................................................... 50 3.1.1 Zinza fishing organisation (1940s-1970s) .......................................................... 51 3.1.2 Fishing in Zinza clan and sub-clan groupings (1960s-1970s) ......................... 52 3.1.3 The Zinza minority in a globalized fishery ...................................................... 55 3.2 Social organization and norm implanting in Sukuma society .............................. 57 3.2.1 Witchcraft and magic: are they enduring cause for Sukuma success? ......... 61 3.3 Commodification and changing fishing traditions and ethics ............................. 63 3.3.1 The rise of ‘camp empires’, power and networks in fishing .......................... 64 3.3.2 Triple capacity through empire: the case of Chikuku ..................................... 66 3.3.3 From ‘nzengo ethnic social ties’ to ‘commercial ties’ in Sukuma society .... 72 3.4 Other social dynamics and their link to camp eEmpire organizations ............... 74 3.5 Summary of the chapter ............................................................................................. 77 CHAPTER 4: THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NILE PERCH FISHERY ON LAKE VICTORIA- THE CASE OF TANZANIA .......................................................................... 79 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 79 4.2 Organization of Nile Perch in gill-net fishery ......................................................... 80 4.2.1 Fishing in the early days: single net, shared canoe ......................................... 80 4.2.2 Fishing in the commercialization era: from single net to multi-paneled nets .......................................................................................................................................... 81 4.3 Organization of the Nile Perch in beach seine fishery ........................................... 83 4.3.1 Beach seine fishery before the 1980s .................................................................. 83 4.3.2 The beach seine fishery in the commercialized era (1990s -2000s) ................ 85 4.4 Long line fishing organization .................................................................................. 90 4.4.1 Long-line fishing in the early days .................................................................... 90 4.4.2. The long-line fishery in the era of commercialization ................................... 91 vi 4.4.3 Fishing processes in migonzo fishery ................................................................ 94 4.5 Emerging fishing relations and networks ................................................................ 95 4.6 Reconfiguration of Nile Perch export supply channels and networks ................ 98 4.7 Summary of the chapter ........................................................................................... 103 CHAPTER 5 THE ORGANIZATION OF THE DAGAA FISHERIES IN TANZANIA’S LAKE VICTORIA ...............................................................................................................