Community

In anticipation of the closure of the Yatela mine in 2006, a number of initiatives have been explored to promote the sustainable development of the region after mining ceases. One of these initiatives is the Yatela Fish Farm, located in a quarry that was used to provide aggregate for the base of the leach pads at the mine. The trial project began in early 2002 and is driven and managed by the on-site environmentalist Emma Bamforth and the mine management team, with support provided by the corporate office in Johannesburg. The quarry trial provides an ideal opportunity to both breed up a stock of fish to be introduced into the main Yatela pit at closure and to be used as a training facility in the interim.

Water is supplied to the quarry from an overflow pipe which feeds the mine water supply and, because of the nature of the host rock - which is diorite - there is very little seepage. This means that water accumulated here during the rainy season would remain for a couple of months, causing a stagnant malaria-breeding area.

About 150 fish and 30 eels were initially introduced into the quarry after having been captured in the nearby Senegal River. The species which are breeding highly successfully are the Banded Jewel Fish, Nile Tilapia, Banded Tilapia and Catfish - all of which are hardy and have good tolerances regarding pH and salinity levels.

The fish are fed on insects attracted to lights that are suspended a few feet above the water. Bi-weekly two buckets of sorghum husks are thrown into the water for the smaller fish to feed from. (These husks are commonly used by local fishermen.) An added benefit of the fish breeding project is that they also feed off mosquito larvae (reducing the prevalence of malaria in the area), breed extremely quickly and provide high levels of protein. They are also indigenous to the area.

Recently some of the fish were netted to check species and sizes and it is estimated that harvesting can begin from 2005 onwards. A suitable Malian operator is being sought in association with the Small Business Development Foundation and will be guided in good aquaculture practices - the frequency of harvests, seasons, size limits etc. This has the potential to become a large scale operation once these fish species are introduced into the pit-lake at mine closure. In the best case scenario individuals could farm and sell the fish to local communities; at worst case they would have a resource to use on an individual basis that also reduces malaria in the area.

A number of different fish traps have been experimented with, although it has been found that a small mesh size must be used or the outside of the trap effectively becomes a gill net for the smaller species trying to feed from the bait inside the trap. The advantage of this system is that fish are caught live and undersized ones can be returned.