From Climate Risks to Community Solutions: Fisheries Communities in Kagera Co-Design Their Own Climate Adaptation Plan
"In the past, we would go fishing and return with tonnes of fish, but nowadays we go fishing and return with nothing, only shells and no fish in the nets. We incur costs with no benefits at all. Temperature is rising, and rains have become unpredictable, negatively affecting the fish that we catch." - Clement Sozi, Fisher, Lake Victoria, Tanzania.
When fishers on the shores and islands of Lake Victoria talk about climate change, they do not speak in abstract terms. They talk about stronger storms that keep boats ashore. They speak about rising water temperatures contributing to fish mortality (events locally known as kiferezi). They share experiences of loss as floods damage fish processing facilities, homes, schools, and wash away roads and bridges, and destroy aquatic habitats. They speak of fluctuating water levels that alter fishing grounds and intensify competition for dwindling resources.