Everything about Kapenta totally explained
The
Tanganyika sardine, known as
Kapenta in
Zambia and
Zimbabwe or
Dagaa or
Ndgaa elsewhere, is really two species (
Lake Tanganyika sardine Limnothrissa miodon and
Lake Tanganyika sprat Stolothrissa tanganicae) both of which are small,
planktivorous,
pelagic,
freshwater clupeid originating from
Lake Tanganyika in
East Africa. They form the major biomass of pelagic fish in Lake Tanganyika, swimming in large schools in the open lake, feeding on copepods and potentially jellyfish. Their major predators are four species of
Lates which are also endemic to Lake Tanganyika, and are related to (but not the same as) the
Nile Perch in
Lake Victoria. All of these pelagic fish have suffered from overfishing in the last two decades.
Limnothrissa miodon has been successfully introduced in both natural and artificial African lakes. Large kapenta fisheries now take place in the
Lake Kariba (
Zambia/
Zimbabwe) and
Cahora Bassa (
Mozambique).
This fish is caught at night using lights to attract it. A dip net generally about six meters in diameter is used to bring the fish up from anything from 40 meters (130 ft). It is then salted at a ratio normally of 2.5 kg per 30 kg (1 lb per 12 lb) of fish, and dried in the hot Zambezi Vally sun. It is hugely important staple, providing refrigeration-free protein to people of Africa. A cup of dried kapenta will feed a family.
It is an important bait fish for the
Tigerfish (
Alestiidae family) and although introduced in Kariba and Cahora Bassa, doesn't seem to have harmed the environment.
An important contributor to the economies of the areas it's caught in.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kapenta'.
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