Wetland & Fish Ecology - Enviro Dynamics Namibia

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Information was collected from local people in each locality while collecting fish.
Team members that could communicate in the local Oshivambo language, asked
persons and passers-by questions prepared as an open-ended questionnaire. The
conversation was often joined by researchers and public as there usually was a lively
conversation and interest in what the team was doing and collecting. Summaries of
each of the interviews are given in Appendix 3a.
The questionnaire focussed on fish and fishing and the following information was
asked:
Characterization of household
Level of education of respondent
Fish eating in household
Fish catching in household
Opinion over last few years for fishing success
Effect of recent high floods on household members
Support by government after flood
Knowledge of proposed dike structure
(See a copy of the questionnaire in Appendix 3b used as a guide to these interviews)
1.5 ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS
Assumptions:
We assume there will not be drastic climatological changes and that floods will
continue to come down the Cuvelai – not dammed in Angola.
Our samples were representative of fish populations in water bodies.
Limitations:
There is uncertainty about development in Angola.
There is no direct knowledge of salinity of the substrate below iishana and the effect
that this will have on water quality when it is exposed by the deepening of the
channel.
The Cuvelai River system is extremely unpredictable. Major floods and serious
continuous droughts can be expected in future, this is partly the result of global
warming and associated features. Future floods and efundja cannot be predicted.
Draft Environmental Impact Assessment: Oshakati Flood Mitigation Project
Specialist Study: Wetland Ecology and Fish Ecology Imputs
July 2012