Prawn fisheries turn up roses

BERNARD LUGONGO

...now upper limit on trawlers at 500HP

FISHERIES division is set to boost the country’s foreign exchange with the lifting of a ban on prawns fishing in Tanzanian waters, the government has announced.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Yohana Budeba, also said the new move would further boost government revenue from the fisheries sector.

Dr Budeba told the ‘Daily News’ yesterday that his ministry would closely monitor prawn-fishing activities, especially after removal of the ban, to ensure that the harvests were properly done to avoid further depletion of these marine resources.

The ministry announced resumption of fishing activities – from next April through the use of trawlers -- following consultations with relevant stakeholders who assured the government the prawn ‘reserves’ had since stabilized, and that it was now ‘just right’ to lift the ban.

However, the ministry has meanwhile cautioned that such fishing would only be carried out on rotation, and on trial, from April 1 to August of every year, stopping for some reproduction ‘breather’ from September to March in order to enhance sustainability of the species.

The new arrangement will take on board both the big-time hunters as well as the middle and artisanal fishermen – all of whom would have to apply for fishing licences from the ministry.

“We’ll assign two observers (from government) to each trawler to curb any improper fishing and ensure that the vessels meet all legal requirements. We will also be doing regular inspections,” he said, noting that the trawlers, for instance, would be limited to a maximum five hundred horsepower (500HP).

In 2008 the government prohibited prawn-fishing in the country’s waters following revelations that the resource had been ‘significantly reduced’ and required strengthened monitoring. Before 2007, the reserve of prawns in the country’s waters was estimated at 1,320 tons but suddenly plummeted to just 202 tons due to irregular fishing.

The Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI) was immediately briefed to work on how these stocks could be allowed to replenish, and it was on the basis of its favourable report that the fishing of prawns has since resumed.

Even then, the report which was presented to the stakeholders last December showed that there was just “a small increase of the resource since the ban.”