Illegal fishing activities in Chipata district have continued despite a fish ban.
District Fisheries Officer Zacheus Nkunika has confirmed, stating that some fishermen have completely ignored the fish ban, which started in December last year and will end in March.
Mr. Nkunika says that a lot of fish species in the country breed between December and March and that the fish ban is meant to enable the fish to breed without interference from people.
He says that the department has carried out sensitization on the importance of the fish ban and continued to carry out patrols of all the areas where fishing activities usually take place.
Mr. Nkunika however, says that the Fisheries Department has been unable to carry out many patrols, as they do not have adequate funding from the government.
He further says that although the Fisheries Department has made a number of arrests, no one has been convicted as they were all just warned and released.
The district fisheries officer has appealed to people to desist from any illegal fishing activities because it is a crime adding that anyone involved, will be arrested and prosecuted in the courts of law.