For three decades, Siabulimo Chigwambari has carried a memory that refuses to fade.
It returns whenever he stands at the mouth of the Ume River -- that quiet but powerful tributary that pours into Lake Kariba along its southern shoreline, inside the vast wilderness of Matusadona National Park.
He was a young man then.
His elder brother had gone out to check fishing nets near the river mouth -- waters known for their depth, currents and crocodiles.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
The attack was sudden. Violent. Final.
"There was nothing we could do," Chigwambare said softly.
"The river decided."
The Ume River mouth has long been fertile breeding ground for tiger fish -- one of the Zambezi's most prized species -- and a place where humans, wildlife and livelihoods intersect in fragile balance.
Discover moreNewspaperNewspaper epaper accessSports news coverageHuman wildlife conflicts, especially crocodile attacks, are a persistent threat around Zimbabwean water bodies, particularly in the mid-Zambezi region that includes Lake Kariba.
In just two months alone, the parks authority recorded nearly 50 incidents of crocodile conflict, resulting in at least nine deaths and 11 injuries -- alongside livestock losses -- underscoring the dangers communities face near water sources.
For Chigwambari and others who have lost friends and family to the river's perils, fishing here was not just about hardship; it was a gamble with life itself.
Today, something different floats on the water.
A quiet revolution at Musamba
At Musamba Fishing Camp in the Mid Zambezi, three large floating cages now rise gently with the rhythm of the lake.
Inside them: more than 73 000 fingerlings.
For Chigwambari-- and fellow fisherman, West Siamukonka, from Chief Mola -- the cages represent more than technology.
They represent a shift from exposure to control.
The two men are among those currently tending the initial batch of fish as they prepare for the eventual handover of the project to 171 fishing households transitioning from unstructured net fishing to organised aquaculture.
"Before, we waited on the river," said Siamukonka at Musamba.
"Now the river is working with us."
Each cage, valued at approximately US$24 000, has been carefully installed to support sustainable production rather than extractive pressure.
With an average survival rate of about 80 percent, the fish reach market weight -- roughly 250 grammes -- within four months.
At harvest, they are expected to fetch around US$3,50 per kilogramme, with nearly nine tonnes projected from this first cycle alone.
Three additional cages are set to be installed before April.
Order is replacing luck.
Protecting nature while building livelihoods
For years, uncontrolled and sometimes harmful net fishing placed pressure on wild fish stocks -- particularly tiger fish, which breed near the Ume River mouth and have faced threats from overfishing.
Research on inland water aquaculture shows that when implemented responsibly, cage fish farming can reduce pressure on wild stocks by offering an alternative supply while promoting more sustainable use of ecosystems.
Mr Shupikayi Zimuto, Project Coordinator for the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) at UNDP Zimbabwe, said the technology was deployed for both conservation and livelihood diversification.
"So we have deployed this technology of floating cages mainly to protect the breeding sites for tiger fish," he said.
"It is one of the technologies where we are providing alternative means for them to produce fish, so that they are able to protect the tiger fish which is facing extinction in the lake. This is one of the technologies that we have actually provided to make sure that we protect the breeding sites for tiger fish by providing an alternative way of producing fish in the lake, mainly focusing on protection."
The project falls under Phase Two of ZRBF, a resilience programme funded by the European union and the Government of Ireland, led, managed and co-ordinated by the United Nations Development Programme. The programme is technically supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), strengthened by the Resilience Knowledge Hub led by Mercy Corps through evidence generation and implemented in the Mid Zambezi by the Ushingi Consortium, led by DanChurchAid.Ushingi ZRBF 2 project Team Leader Mr Brighton Chiparausha said the initiative goes beyond income.
"At Musamba, we are addressing both. By improving post harvest handling, strengthening market access and enforcing sustainable practices, we are ensuring that productivity translates into real income and long term resilience," he said.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Diversification and safety
UNDP Resident Representative Dr Ayodele Odusola said the cage farming model is designed to reduce risk as much as it builds resilience.
"One of the objectives of UNDP's involvement is diversification of livelihoods," he said.
"We want to move people away from purely traditional fishing practices and provide options like aquaculture, which also reduces the risks associated with fishing in the lake. We have been told it is an average of 40 to 50 people that have been attacked every year by crocodiles, leading to 40 to 50 deaths annually. This modern cage farming system helps eliminate that risk."
Dr Odusola noted that since the introduction of cage technology, communities report no such incidents in project zones and the project has brought fish farmers together in associations that can leverage market access, bulk purchasing of inputs and large-scale sales.
"We are happy that the farmers are happy about what is going on," he said.
"It has improved the quality of fishing and increased the productivity expected from this new set of floating cages. We are looking forward to expanding this to enhance livelihoods and increase income and wealth creation for fishers in this area."
