Lake Chad, with its two major rivers and many runoff zones, was ranked high among Africa's producers of inland freshwater fish in the 1970s.
[1] Because it was practiced in an entirely traditional manner and totally outside the control of government or modern commercial enterprises, there was no accurate statistical information on fishing.
[1] In areas adjacent to urban centers, some portion—usually the best of the catch, such as large Nile perch (called capitaine in Chad)—was marketed fresh.
[1] Along Lake Chad and the river borders with Cameroon, the surplus catch was dried, salted, or smoked before being sold.
[1] Larger smoked fish called banda were generally exported to the major Nigerian market of Maiduguri.