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The forgotten ’Gold Mine’
2005-11-09 08:31:17
By Editor
The country’s underdeveloped fishing industry is indeed a forgotten gold mine.
Tanzania has abundant fresh water lakes covering 6 percent of the total mainland area with substantial fish resources.
About 80 percent of the estimated 300,000 tons annual catch comes from fresh water sources, and the remainder is obtained from the 800 km coastline, with its narrow continental shelf.
There are also some more than 10,000 fish ponds located in various parts of the country.
Underdeveloped as it is, the fishing industry provides a source of employment to some 800,000 people while contributing 10 percent of total foreign exchange.
At the institutional level, the industry remained un-coordinated until 1997, when the National Fisheries Policy came into being.
One of its four targets is to increase production and incomes of artisanal fisherfolks by improving traditional technology, modernization of infrastructure as well as by protecting the country’s territorial waters.
It is shocking to note that to-date, the sustainability of the industry is threatened by over-fishing and use of destructive fishing methods as beach seines, dynamite, and poison whose ultimate impact is reduced catch per unit effort.
We have seen commendable management efforts in curbing the fishing malpractices, including legislating marine parks, but such efforts are hampered by inadequate enforcement capacity and low awareness.
As we strive tirelessly to implement poverty reduction strategies , it is sad to remember that 20 percent of our annual fish catch in Tanzania doesn’t reach the consumer due to post harvest losses caused by improper handling technology, lack of storage facilities and poor transportation.
Last year, on August 22, European trawlers were spotted illegally fishing in Tanzanian waters, these being part of the 70 ships estimated to be operating illegally, targeting tuna fish, kingfish, lobsters and prawns. It follows that the country is losing a fortune to illegal fishing.
A diplomatic deal between Tanzania and France was signed committing the latter to employ its naval fleet operating in the southern Indian Ocean Zone to assist arresting illegal fishing vessels along the Tanzanian coastline.
The deal is very relevant today, because foreign fishing methods are also blamed for destroying delicate marine ecology, for ecosystems in tropical waters are very vulnerable to the industrial trawling techniques used illegally.
The bitter memories of the 1999 ban imposed on fish exports from Lake Victoria on claims that fish were being killed using pesticides are still haunting us.
There is a need to enhance meticulous use of the laboratory equipment financed by the EU to test the quality of the exported fish at source.
Apart from its jobs and foreign exchange spinning ability, the fishing industry contributes 30 percent of the total national protein intake, and so the forgotten goldmine needs to be developed, and protected urgently.
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