📌 JASMINE SHAMWEPU
TANZANIA has been commended as a leading instrumental in establishing the objectives of the international year of artisanal fisheries and aquaculture (IYAFA) which is scheduled to be marked next year (2022), it has been learned here.
According to food and agriculture organization (FAO) Sub-regional fisheries and agriculture officer based in Ethiopia, Dr Martin van der Knaap, Tanzania’s sardine, sprat and perch sector is artisanal in nature, thus put the country at the forefront of progress within the global activities for the forthcoming year 2022.
“It is important to note that the year 2022 marks the international year of artisanal fisheries and aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) with FAO serving as the lead UN agency,” remarked Dr Knaapin in his opening statement of the FISH4ACP project planning workshop held recently (December 6, 2021) in Kigoma region.
He further noted that IYAFA’s international committee recognizes the leading role played by Tanzania as an instrumental in implementing its objectives directly linked toFISH4ACP project allocated in Lake Tanganyika.
The objective elucidates that it enhances global awareness and actions to support the contribution and sustainable development of small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture. This includes actions to improve food and nutrition security, poverty eradication and optimal use of natural resources.
Speaking on the FISH4ACP Project, Dr Knaap pointed that it is an initiative out of other multiple projects working on the Lake Tanganyika adding that FAO in collaboration with stakeholders need to connect the different institutions, fishers, women fish processors, Beach Management Units (BMUs) and others in implementing FISH4ACP project.
He said the project expects to be operated in Zambia to further increase linkages and integration. So far FISH4ACP has been embarked in the study in Tanzania and similar study will be conducted in Zambia under the same financing support of the European Union, “EU is further supporting the lakes fisheries by its project under the wider umbrella of the ECOFISH Programme with headquarters in Mauritius and one of the components is Lake Tanganyika Fisheries Management Project (LATAFIMA) which of course is implemented under the auspices of the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA).
According to Dr Knaap LTA is the fruit of FAO’s Committees for Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture of Africa (CIFAA) with a sub-committee for the management of Lake Tanganyika consisting of fisheries administrators and researchers of the four countries (namely Tanzania, Zambia, DRC and Burundi) around the lake, established in 2009.
In another development
Dr Knaap outlined some challenges frustrating the fishing sector including the
regional warming patterns since the beginning of the twentieth century.
“A rise in surface-water temperature has increased the stability of the water column. A regional decrease in wind velocity has contributed to reduced mixing, decreasing deep-water nutrient upwelling and entrainment into surface waters.“
He noted that Carbon
isotope records in sediment cores suggest that primary productivity may have
decreased by about 20%, implying a roughly 30% decrease in fish yields.
In his remarks to open the workshop for upgrading strategy, the Permanent Secretary for Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Rashid Tamatamah said the government has been setting potential strategies to confront challenges in the fishing sector in a bid to increase its inputs in the national income.
“So far the government
has improved business environment for fish products and enacting the framework
to control illegal fishing and smuggling as well as setting of sustainable
fishing conditions” said Dr Tamatamah
He further cited examples of reviewed regulations lead to income tax reduction in exportation from US $ 1.5 per kilograms of sardine to US $ 0.5 and US $ 0.5 to US $ 0.3 of sprat per kilograms.
“The government has
also allocated Tsh 800 million for research including Tsh 135 million for the
use in Lake Tanganyika survey.
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