Along the shores of Agboyi riverine community sit Iya Pupa and Rashidatu, two artisanal fisherwomen, sorting out their early morning catch in their boats. 

However, their countenances do not record joy or fulfillment. There is a problem, and they say it is water hyacinth.

“This is very small compared to what we normally get. We cannot go far into the waters because the water hyacinths make it difficult for us to pass through” Iya Pupa says.  

“We no longer make much sales because we don’t catch enough fish and the ones we even catch are not big enough to attract big customers,” Rashidatu adds. “Anytime the dry season starts coming, we cannot do our fishing as we like because those leaves grow and cover the entire lagoon.”

For fisherwomen like these, the plant is a barrier between them and their livelihoods.

What exactly is Water Hyacinth?

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a floating vegetation that constitutes a huge problem for fisheries and other global sectors. The floating plants are native to the Amazon in South America and especially to Brazil and Argentina. Its rapid spread is blamed on the 1884 Cotton States Exposition where the plants were given to guests as souvenirs. Through this, it was introduced worldwide and has spread rapidly into the natural environment. Today, it is found on every continent except Antarctica.

In Nigeria, the plant reportedly arrived in 1984 through the Badagry creeks, and has since invaded about 10,000 kilometers of waterways. Like Iya Pupa and Rashidatu, many fisherfolks across Nigeria detest the plant for reducing fish harvests and even causing flooding by clogging irrigation canals and water channels.

A Threat Beneath the Surface

Water hyacinth kills off aquatic bodies that are important to the livelihoods of fisherwomen and fisherfolks in general. When the plant is spread across a water surface, it blocks out sunlight and interrupts photosynthesis, the process that provides oxygen for aquatic life.

The resultant effect is that fish and other aquatic creatures flee from these areas or even die, making it difficult for fisherwomen to record a large harvest. Its effects do not stop there: it also degrades water quality and encourages the breeding of disease-carrying insects such as mosquitoes and other organisms which cause malaria and other illnesses. 

For fisherwomen and communities who live close to the lagoon, this means that they are exposed to malaria and other diseases caused by carriers bred by the water hyacinths, alongside the deep economic strain they experience.

Why It is So Hard to Control

Alongside the negative multi-tiered impact of the water hyacinth, this species is difficult to control, one major reason being its ability to reproduce rapidly. It reproduces quickly in warm and dry conditions without pollination. 

National Geographic records that a mother plant can reproduce a hundred other daughter plants and these can double in biomass within just seven to 14 days. Despite several government-led efforts to clear it, the plant keeps returning which makes it both expensive and exhausting to manage.

The floating plant is known to be controlled via biological, chemical and mechanical means. However, each method has a disadvantage. For example, releasing insects to biologically control the plant is not sufficient as these insects often migrate. The application of chemical herbicides on the leaves could pose health problems due to water pollution. With machines, the tendency for new colonies to form from smaller pieces of weed that escape is certainly high. 

The Way Forward 

While none of these control methods can be completely ruled out, the real opportunity lies in turning the problem into potential through awareness and actionable plans. 

Water hyacinth can be transformed into useful products such as fertilizers, crafts, biofuel, and even paper. Across the world, innovators are already experimenting with its reuse as a sustainable material.

Our goal at Enatta Foundation is to advocate for cleaner waterways for fisherwomen and fisherfolk, as well as partner with agencies to transform water hyacinths into viable products that benefits fishing communities, and every Iya Pupa and Rashidatu who depends on these waters for survival.

By transforming what threatens our waters into something that sustains them, we protect the environment and give fisherwomen back their right to work and to earn.