Responsible fishing supports people and nature

Dohi en Adimado

The village of Dohi, in the municipality of Comè, is located on an offshoot of Lake Ahémé and depends entirely on the water: fishing is the main source of food and income. Adimado, in the municipality of Grand-Popo, is also involved in the project. Both villages are about 5 kilometres apart and each has a population of around 2,000. The fishermen will soon be able to fish in “their” spawning grounds.

How did we end up in Dohi?

Join For Water does not just start a project anywhere. Our colleagues spend a lot of time and energy visiting the area and consulting with residents, organisations and local authorities.

Razaki: “We started with the questions that are important to the villages and worked out a concrete proposal together with the residents. The decision to work on protecting this ecosystem through the management of fishing grounds is perfectly logical. There is plenty of water and several species of fish and crabs live there, so fishing is the main source of food and income. But there must be sufficient water of good quality available. That is why we are also making the communities aware of the importance of not polluting the lake itself and the surrounding land. Otherwise, the spawning grounds we want to create will not survive.”

Basile Lokossou, the village chief of Dohi, confirms that the inhabitants of Dohi were the ones who asked for this.

Basile: ‘The condition of the lake was deteriorating rapidly due to poor fishing practices and we were looking for solutions. They had the same experience in Adimado. We greatly appreciate Join For Water’s approach. We now have an “intercommunal” project and the population has really embraced it thanks to all the meetings and awareness campaigns. I am confident that they will continue to support this project.’

The solution: a spawning ground with bamboo trunks

To strengthen fishing, the construction of a spawning ground with bamboo trunks emerged as the best solution. A spawning ground is a sheltered place in shallow water where fish spawn, reproduce and lay their eggs.

Razaki: “The decision to work in this way was also preceded by a great deal of research and consultation. The use of non-regulatory nets and an old method, the acadja, had greatly reduced fish stocks. The acadja is a construction made of branches that lies in the water and catches fish. But the wood rots and clogs and pollutes the water. The acadja has now been banned in Benin. So we looked for another method. A researcher investigated whether bamboo was suitable and sufficiently available for the construction we wanted to set up. And bamboo proved to be a good choice: there is enough bamboo available and the wood has a long lifespan. The bamboo trunks can remain in the water for a year or even longer, and we can maintain them and replace them if necessary. Other types of wood break down or decompose completely and cause blockages. We have actually created a more modern version of the acadja. The water quality has also been thoroughly and extensively researched. Can fish live in such an environment? Won’t the clay in the water cause problems for the fish?

Basile: “An area has been marked out in a shallower part of the lake where the logs are placed in a grid pattern, approximately half a metre apart. Fish can swim around freely, find food and a safe place to lay their eggs. Coconut palm trunks are also attached horizontally between the bamboo sticks. The fish eat them and these trunks also provide a safe place for the eggs.”

We see it with our own eyes as we sail past. The spawning ground in Dohi covers an area of around 1,000 m² and looks like one large notice board made of bamboo trunks, with passages between them for sailing through. This creates different compartments that are easily accessible for maintenance. The men stand waist-deep in the water to secure the trunks. These trunks have been sharpened at one end and remain firmly in place in the clay-like soil. The workers come from the surrounding area and are paid by the company carrying out the construction. A total of 12,500 trunks will be installed.

Fish have free access, humans do not

The fish will naturally find their way to this spawning ground; it is a natural process. However, the spawning ground is not always accessible to fishermen.

Basile: ‘Since fishing will only be allowed for a limited period, we don’t want to tempt people to come here all the time. That’s why we’re going to close off the spawning ground on all four sides and only open it again for maintenance. This will also allow us to monitor everything better. The fish can always swim in and out freely, because there are no nets.’

Management committee guarantees smooth operation

A management committee has been set up to keep everything running smoothly and to ensure that agreements are respected. This management committee is responsible for maintenance and for agreeing when and where fishing is allowed…

Razaki: “The management committee consists of Basile, Etienne, Alphonse Sossou, the village chief of Adimado, and five other residents of Dohi and Adimado, including one woman. There is a need for training in the functioning of a committee, administration, financial monitoring, etc. After all, we must ensure that the investment we make remains profitable in the long term. Training in planning and organising meetings, reporting and monitoring is also planned. Everything must continue to function when we are no longer here.”

The first result

There is no fish yet, but an important result has already been achieved. For Join For Water, this is not primarily the tangible construction that is taking shape here, but rather the agreement with the people and their willingness to manage this properly.

Razaki: “Behavioural change is also a result we are really working towards. People will have to accept and respect what we are doing in consultation with them. Because fishing will only be allowed during a certain period of the year, as agreed with the mayors. Only if the spawning grounds are left undisturbed for large parts of the year will this benefit biodiversity. That is the big challenge we are taking on.”

Fish from March 2026

The work was completed at the beginning of November and both sites were handed over by the contractor. They expect fish here from March onwards.

Read Razaki’s story.

*ACCB = Aires Communautaires de Conservation de la Biodiversité

Photos: (c) Liesbeth De Baere, Join For Water