TANZANIA – Tanzania fish production in the fiscal year 2019/2020 rose to 392, 933 metric tonnes, earning the country Tz1.85 trn (US$800m), an increase from Tz1.63 trn (US$700m) attained in 2018/2019.
The rise in earnings is attributed to a raft of measures taken by the government to safeguard the industry, contributing 1.71 percent of the country’s GDP compared to 1.5 percent of the previous year, reports Ipp Media.
The sector supports about 4.5 million people, with fishing activities dominated by small-scale fishermen accounting for more than 95 percent of the total fish produced.
Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, Luhaga Mpina has also indicated that the quantity of fish in the country’s water bodies increased from 2,803,000 tons in 2018/19 to 3,274,165 tons in 2019/20, an increase of about 16.8 percent.
Mpinda said despite of the gains achieved, the industry continues to face many challenges such as not having enough fishing boats specially for venturing into the Indian Ocean.
“To address the challenges, the government has implemented a number of initiatives such as reviving Tanzania Fishing Company (TAFICO),” he stated adding that his ministry has also embarked on a plan to increase the number of fisheries extension officers through training of manpower.
Recently the Ministry tabled a new bill, the Deep-Sea Fisheries Management and Development Act of 2020 aimed to improve management and development of deep-sea fishing in the country’s jurisdiction of the Indian Ocean waters.
The new bill, designed to improve the administration of the Deep-Sea Fishing Authority and fisheries conservation, will repeal the Deep-Sea Fishing Authority Act of 1988 and its 2017 amendments.
The new law that will also be applied in the Zanzibar archipelago is aimed at introducing conservation and management measures of fisheries.
The measures included fisheries research in the exclusive economic zone and implementation of regional conservation and management measures.
It will also provide for prohibitions on the use of fishing vessels for transnational organized crime in Tanzania.
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