Zimbabwe's Floating Fish Cages Save Lives on Lake Kariba

For 30 years, Siabulimo Chigwambari has carried the memory of his brother's death in the jaws of a crocodile on Lake Kariba. Every time he returned to fish the dangerous waters of the Ume River mouth, he gambled with his life.

Today, Chigwambari tends fish from the safety of floating cages instead of risking the river's predators. Three large cages now bob gently on the water at Musamba Fishing Camp in Zimbabwe's Mid Zambezi region, holding more than 73,000 fish and representing a revolution in how communities earn their living.

The numbers tell a grim story of what came before. In just two months, nearly 50 crocodile conflicts occurred around Lake Kariba, killing nine people and injuring 11 more. Year after year, an average of 40 to 50 fishermen died in attacks while checking their nets in crocodile-infested waters.

The floating cages, each valued at $24,000, offer an alternative that keeps fishermen out of harm's way. Since the project began, communities report zero crocodile attacks in project zones. "Before, we waited on the river," said fellow fisherman West Siamukonka. "Now the river is working with us."

The innovation solves two problems at once. Uncontrolled net fishing had pushed tiger fish, one of the Zambezi's most prized species, toward extinction by destroying their breeding grounds near the Ume River mouth. The cages provide an alternative fish supply that takes pressure off wild populations while giving families steady income.

With an 80 percent survival rate, the fish reach market weight of 250 grams within four months. The first harvest is expected to yield nearly nine tonnes, fetching $3.50 per kilogram. Three additional cages will be installed before April, expanding the program to 171 fishing households transitioning from dangerous net fishing to organized aquaculture.

The Ripple Effect

The project, funded by the European Union and Ireland through the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund, extends far beyond individual safety. By bringing fish farmers together into associations, families gain access to bulk purchasing, better market connections, and large-scale sales opportunities they could never reach alone.

Dr. Ayodele Odusola, UNDP Resident Representative, emphasized the transformation. "This modern cage farming system helps eliminate that risk," he said, referring to the decades of crocodile deaths. The program also strengthens post-harvest handling and market access, ensuring productivity translates into real income and long-term stability.

For Chigwambari, the cages represent something profound: the shift from fighting nature to working with it. Order has replaced luck, safety has replaced fear, and families who once mourned losses to the river now build futures on its surface.