info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
Image from Gulf News
Tanzanian fisheries are mainly carried out in Indian Ocean, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa.It is estimated that there are approximately 2.7 tons of harvestable fish in the country's waters.
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.
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.
