The traditional community that manages Mbenje Island in southern Lake Malawi enforces an annual multi-month fishing closure and strict local rules that conservationists and researchers say have maintained higher fish stocks and larger fish than in surrounding waters, offering a locally tested model for fisheries recovery amid wider declines across the lake.
Local leaders on Mbenje Island, about 10 kilometres off Malawi’s southern shore, maintain a seasonal ban on fishing — traditionally from December to March or April — combined with rules on gear, mesh size and authorised fishers, to allow breeding and safeguard fishermen’s safety; researchers and media reporting on the area say these measures have resulted in comparatively abundant fish populations around the island while much of Lake Malawi faces pressure from overfishing and illegal gear use, according to reporting by Mongabay and other outlets.
Local closures and rules sustain a fishing haven
Mbenje Island is managed under customary regulations led by Senior Chief Makanjira and a local fisheries committee that trace rules back to the 1950s, when migrant commercial fishers first sought access to the island’s fishing grounds; the chief’s family established a longer closed season than the national mandate and enforces entry, gear and conduct rules during the open season, including banning mosquito nets and restricting fishing lights and the number of gear units, according to reporting on the island’s practices and history.
As reported by Charles Mpaka for Mongabay, the community’s extended closure — traditionally four months from December through March — was instituted by a 1950s Senior Chief Makanjira and is enforced because it both protects breeding fish and reduces hazards to fishers during the rainy season, when storms and lightning make travel hazardous, according to committee members and scientists cited by Mongabay.
Evidence of stronger local stocks amid wider decline
Independent observers and fisheries scientists say surveys and local knowledge show Mbenje’s fishing grounds host larger and more abundant fish compared with many other parts of Lake Malawi, where stock declines have been linked to population growth, habitat degradation, climate impacts and illegal gear such as monofilament nets.
Community management cited by scientists and NGOs
Mongabay’s reporting cites fisheries scientist Elias Chirwa, who told the outlet that the Mbenje community’s longer closed season and strict net-mesh enforcement allow fish to grow larger and increase population recruitment, because larger female fish produce more offspring; that local outcome has encouraged national and conservation actors to study whether aspects of Mbenje’s approach could be adapted elsewhere around the lake.
According to FairPlanet and other profiles of the island, traditional belief systems and community sanctions — including spiritual taboos and fines administered by the fisheries committee — underpin compliance, while island openings and closures are accompanied by ceremonies and committee reviews that help regulate behaviour and record contraventions, as noted in a World Bank summary cited by FairPlanet.
Wider context: Lake Malawi fisheries under pressure
Lake Malawi is a critical food and income source for Malawi, supplying the majority of the country’s fish catch and supporting more than a million people directly or indirectly, yet researchers and media report that many parts of the lake show declining catches and shrinking fish sizes due to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and environmental pressures, a trend that contrasts with the relatively healthy conditions reported around Mbenje Island.
Reporting by Mongabay and NGO sources notes that monofilament nets and other illegal gear remain a growing concern across Lake Malawi; workshops and coordination efforts convened by Malawi fisheries authorities, NGOs and regional bodies have focused on curbing such gear and strengthening enforcement, according to Stop Illegal Fishing’s reporting on recent national workshops in Malawi in 2025.
Conservation partners and government responses
Conservation organisations and some local officials have praised Mbenje’s customary system as a candidate for broader replication, while national fisheries authorities have promoted closed seasons and regulatory measures; for example, district councils and partners in Malawi have announced officially mandated closed seasons for parts of the lake in recent years to protect breeding fish, according to local reporting summarised by Planet Defence.
Reporting by Planet Defence on Mangochi District’s closed-season announcements describes coordinated closures — with Lake Malawi closed over parts of the calendar for the November–December period and other zones or commercial sectors subject to different windows — framed as strategic conservation measures supported by district commissioners, chiefs, fisheries officers and NGOs such as Ripple Africa.
Stop Illegal Fishing’s coverage of a 2025 workshop in Salima highlighted Malawi’s stated commitment to eliminate harmful monofilament nets and to strengthen regional cooperation and enforcement, quoting Dr Maxon Ngochera, Head of the Capture Fisheries Division, on the need for coordinated action to halt ecologically damaging gear and illegal fishing practices.
As reported by Charles Mpaka for Mongabay, Mbenje’s approach combines customary authority, community monitoring and sanctions with practical rules — elements that fisheries scientists say are essential to effective small-scale fisheries management and resilience where state enforcement capacity is limited.
Implications for policy and next steps
The Mbenje example has prompted interest from government agencies and conservation groups seeking scalable interventions: local practices point to potential benefits from combining customary management, clearly defined closed seasons, community patrols and gear restrictions, but observers caution that successful scaling requires careful adaptation to local social and ecological conditions and stronger effort to eliminate illegal gear across the lake.
According to Mongabay reporting, fisheries scientists and community leaders stress that while Mbenje shows what is possible under strong community governance, replication across Lake Malawi would also need investment in monitoring, enforcement, alternative livelihoods during closures and regional measures to stop the spread of monofilament nets and other illegal gear.
Reporting by Charles Mpaka for Mongabay and by Stop Illegal Fishing for regional stakeholders indicates that national workshops and district-level closed-season declarations are steps in this direction, but both outlets underline ongoing challenges in enforcement and the need for sustained support from government and NGOs.
The Mbenje community’s customary management and extended fishing ban are reported to have produced relatively abundant fish stocks in that locality compared with broader Lake Malawi trends, and the model is being examined by researchers and policy-makers as they seek to strengthen fisheries sustainability across the lake, according to Mongabay, FairPlanet and regional fisheries reporting.
