• Tanzania fishing industry earns 10% of national foreign exchange. 
  • FAO conducting sustainable fishing initiative in Tanzania.
  • More than 4 million people earn their livelihoods from the fisheries sector.

With a stretch of coastline in excess of 1,400km and inland freshwater covering an estimated 54,300 square km, fishing is one of Tanzania’s major agricultural practices.

According to the Tanzania National Statistics Bureau, the fisheries sector contributes an average of 1.4 per cent to the GDP and earns about 10 per cent of the national foreign exchange.

To add on, more than four million people earn their livelihoods from the fisheries sector according to the country’s latest fisheries statistics.

Across the continet, Tanzania is one of the largest fishing nations according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the country is ranked in the top 10 countries having one of the largest total capture fisheries production.

FAO reports that the annual fish production in Tanzania is about 341,065 tonnes For the years 2005–2010, fish and fishery products exports from Tanzania earned the country US$195.2 million per annum.

Tanzania sustainable fishing policy

Tanzania is one of the first nations to have developed a National Plan of Action for the implementation of FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication.

The FAO-led Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, otherwise known as the SSF Guidelines, pave the way for the country to shift from overfishing to sustainable fishing practices.

In partnership with FAO, the Tanzanian Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries has recently conducted a fish loss assessment focusing on ‘dagaa’ fishery. Dagaa are a local favorite and vital source of protein. They comprise of various sardines and anchovies and are very rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and essential other micronutrients.

The dagaa, a silvery white small pelagic fish is not commercially valuable but serves as an important sustenance for the local populations. According to the FAO report, this fish specie constitutes 45 per cent of all fish landings in the country making it a very important food source. Locally, this fish also creates business and contributes to increase in household incomes, especially in the lake regions.

However, as the entire industry, the dagaa fishing sector is in need of sustainable practices. To drive sustainability, dagaa fish loss assessment that was conducted by FAO and has led to the development of a Multidimensional Solutions Strategy that is hoped will help to address factors causing fish loss and waste.

The strategy pushes for policy reforms to address trade barriers, including international markets, and fisheries management and governance and it also calls for regulatory framework to strengthen and enforce land and water tenure rights and regulations around the quality and food safety.

The strategy also cites need for technology development to upgrade fishing gear and stowing on boats, and to also explore low-cost, environmentally friendly solutions for drying and packaging. As a result of this strategy, the Asia–Africa BlueTech Superhighway (AABS) is conducting an initiative using climate-smart technologies with a focus on coastal fisheries.

FAO, reports that; “With 38 per cent of global energy used to produce foods that are lost or wasted, the AABS initiative is looking to adapt and up-scale clean or low-carbon technologies to the context of local fishing communities, embedding them in a systems approach to ensure long-term sustainability and profitability of the dagaa fish value chains.”

The initiative is funded by the UK Government, and led by WorldFish and is now implemented in collaboration with a range of partners, including the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute, FAO Tanzania, the University of Dar es Salaam and the Tanzanian Women Fish Workers Association (TAWFA).

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Overfishing in Tanzania

Given the large economic potential of the fisheries sector, and the fact that the sector provides a rich source of affordable staple diet, Tanzania suffers from overexploitation of its lakes, rivers, and even the ocean. Catching so many fish at a time means a good pay off for fishers but it affects the marine life. Fishing without considering the impact on marine life causes depletion of resources and leads to reduction of fish species.

Taking wildlife from sea faster than population can reproduce is what is known as overfishing. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) defines overfishing as catching too many fish at once so the breeding population becomes too depleted to recover.

“Overfishing often goes hand in hand with wasteful types of commercial fishing that haul in massive amounts of unwanted fish or other animals which are then discarded,” warns FAO while calling for sustainable fishing in Tanzania lest the country depletes its fisheries resources.

“To ensure the survival of species and fishing activities, Tanzania must institute sustainable fishing practices” FAO writes in its Sustainable Fishing in Tanzania report, “sustainable fishing contributes to protecting marine fauna and conserving the Oceans and Seas.”

So what is sustainable fishing? According to FAO, this refers to fishing where resources are harvested at a sustainable rate. This means that, while fishing is conducted, however, the fish populations does not decline overtime because of fishing practices.

“Sustainable fishing means leaving enough fish in the ocean, respecting habitats and ensuring people who depend on fishing can maintain their livelihoods,” FAO explains.

“Sustainability in fisheries combines theoretical discipline such as the population dynamics of fisheries, with practical strategies such as avoiding overfishing,” reads the report in part.

FAO also offers suggestions to control over fishing including the use of techniques such as individual fishing quotas, curtailing destructive and illegal fishing practices by lobbying for appropriate laws and policies, setting up protected areas, restoring collapsed fisheries, incorporating all externalities involved in harvesting marine ecosystems into fishery economies, educating stakeholders and the wider public, and developing independent certification programs.

FAO explains that there are ways to fish sustainably, and makes the case for future generations. “Fishing sustainably allows us to enjoy seafood while ensuring that populations remain for the future,” FAO writes.

The report points out that many indigenous cultures have fished sustainably for thousands of years, however, in countries like Tanzania and many others around the world, overfishing is affecting global fish stocks.

“It has been estimated that approximately 70 per cent of fisheries worldwide have been over exploited or have already collapsed,” warns the FAO report.

Suggested sustainable fishing practices include pole catching, this fishing technique involves using a fishing pole that has one line and several hooks which allows fishermen to quickly release bycatch.

FAO also suggests harpooning where fishermen use harpoons or barbs that are fired from a gun to catch large fish like Swordfish with very little bycatch. Traps are also suggested, the technique involves guiding fish into boxed or reef nets placed near the water surface that allows the fish to be tipped into a holding tank.

“Wire mesh traps that lie on the bottom can also be used sustainably if they are not dragged a long the ocean floor,” FAO suggests. Other suggested methods include longlining which uses a very long central fishing line that has many smaller lines of baited hooks attached to it.

Gillnetting and drifting is another sustainable method where fishermen use massive nets suspended using floats or anchored using weights. Similarly, trawling, where a huge net is dragged behind a boat to catch large schools of fish within the net.

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Giza Mdoe is an experienced journalist with 10 plus years. He's been a Creative Director on various brand awareness campaigns and a former Copy Editor for some of Tanzania's leading newspapers. He's a graduate with a BA in Journalism from the University of San Jose. Contact me at giza.m@mediapix.com

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