In a bid to boost local fisheries, the government of Tanzania has announced plans to review the Fisheries Act and regulations governing the sector to allow for a total ban on fish imports.
Despite having a fishing industry that is estimated at nearly $4 billion in value, Tanzania still imports about 24,000 tonnes of fish per month worth $25 million. This is mainly due to the inability of the local fish production to meet the demand. The country produces about 336,821 tonnes of fish per year, against a demand of 731,000 tonnes.
To address the shortage, Tanzania imports fish and fish products from China, Vietnam and other states around the Indian Ocean. While reports suggest sardines from Thailand, Kenya and Mozambique enter the local market through illegal routes.
“We are looking to protect Tanzania’s marine resources through proper arrangements for commercial fishing, to make it beneficial to those in the business,” Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Luhaga Mpina said. He added that regulations will be put in place to safeguard local fisheries.
Tanzania’s fishing industry
With about 200,000 fishermen in the country, fishing in Tanzania is mostly carried out in the Indian Ocean, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa. It is estimated that there are about 2.7 tonnes of harvestable fish available in the country’s waters, according to Mpina.
The country exports fish products, mostly Nile perch from Lake Victoria, sardines from Lake Tanganyika, shellfish, prawn, lobster, crabs, molluscs, squid and octopus from the Indian Ocean.
However, the sector is replete with a myriad of problems. On the part of fishermen, it includes poor fishing gears, inadequate technical expertise and management skills, insufficient financial resources, and lacks the tools to manage and control development processes.
The ministry has been looking to empower small-scale fishermen with proper training to increase their output, encouraging them to form fishing co-operative societies.
Furthermore, the government is giving up to 40 percent subsidies of the total costs of the purchase of modern fishing facilities, including boats. It is also planning to bring in companies to buy large fishing ships, and establish fishing ports along the Indian Ocean coast.
These are commendable efforts, although there are other external challenges that pose a great threat to the sector.
A report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says illegal fishing is rampant in the Indian Ocean, costing Tanzania $400 million annually. While pirates have been conducting illegal fishing in deep waters using dynamite, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries revealed.
To tackle this, the government has deployed officers to patrol the eastern zone of the Indian Ocean to control illegal fishing and prevent pirates from operating there. Mobile courts for quick trials of illegal fishing suspects at the scene of the crime and mobile banking will be introduced to collect fines from the culprits.
The ongoing “Operation Sangara” or “Operation Save the Nile Perch” had minimised illegal fishing in Lake Victoria, especially of the Nile Perch, as well as other species that are on the verge to extinction, Mpina said.
