Integrated Analysis of the Lake Tanganyika Fish Value Chain in Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lake Tanganyika fisheries support food supply, employment, household income, and regional trade. Their long-term contribution to welfare, however, depends on both the distribution of value among actors and the conservation of the natural resource base. This paper examines the fish value chain in Uvira, on the northwestern Congolese shore, by asking whether it creates and distributes value equitably while maintaining fishery sustainability. A structured synthesis was conducted using 31 scientific publications, institutional reports, and governance documents available up to 19 August 2026. Numerical findings were retained in their original periods, spatial coverage, currencies, and units to prevent false comparability. For 2008–2013, the analyzed records covered 1,628,170 kg landed at three Uvira sites: Kilomoni accounted for 50.6%, Mulongwe for 40.0%, and Kalundu for 9.5%. A 2012–2013 survey covering Uvira and Fizi estimated monthly operating margins at 36% of turnover for catamarans and 17% for trimaran/Appolo units, but did not measure margins throughout the downstream chain. At Maendeleo Market, women represented 60% of surveyed processed-fish traders; in 2021, 55.41% of recorded packages were destined for Bukavu. The evidence describes a commercially active but spatially polarized, socially essential, and ecologically fragile chain. Perceived catch decline, juvenile harvest, poorly selective gear, lake warming, sedimentation, insecurity, and weak routine monitoring constrain sustainability. Because consistent actor-level panels of prices, costs, losses, and quantities are unavailable, equitable value distribution cannot be established. Priorities include local monitoring of prices and catch per unit effort, landing-site traceability, low-energy post-harvest infrastructure, women’s economic empowerment, and socially supported co-management.