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DocumentA Multi-Agency Task Team working together to end destructive blast fishing 2014
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Blast fishing, also known as dynamite fishing, is a highly destructive, illegal method of catching fish which uses dynamite or other types of explosives to send shock-waves through the water, stunning or killing fish which are then collected and sold. Blast fishing can be lucrative: both from the sale of the fish caught and also from the trade of illegal explosives. Improvised explosive devices may explode prematurely and have been known to injure or kill the person using them, or innocent bysta nders. Blast fishing was first recorded in Africa in the early 1960s and while it has been brought under control in neighbouring countries it remains a huge problem in Tanzania. Blast fishing occurs along the entire Tanzanian coastline and often takes place within the coral reefs, biodiversity hotspots that provide local communities with food and attract international tourism. The blasts shatter the coral, destroying the habitat which results in drastic reduction in catches, affecting food secur ity. It also causes beach erosion as the reefs no longer provide protection from the sea. Coral reefs have failed to recover, even those blasted 40 years ago. Over the past 20 years several aid programmes provided funding for increased marine patrols, and with the help of the Navy blast fishing was almost eradicated - the withdrawal of the Navy in 2004, and the winding down of the donor support in 2005 blast fishing resumed once more. Although Tanzania has enacted laws and regulations against bl ast fishing, the current legal framework is outdated, there is weak enforcement and few successful prosecutions, hence no deterrent. -
DocumentJoint Operations in Lake Victoria to reduce IUU fishing 2014
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Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, is arguably the most important single source of freshwater fish on the African continent, contributing significantly to national and regional economies and the livelihoods of an estimated three million inhabitants of the three countries bordering its shores, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Nile perch was introduced to the lake in the 1950s and increased in biomass to such an extent that it decimated the lake’s endemic fish community and became the most important fish species in the lake, forming the basis of a lucrative commercial fishery. The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) was formed in 1994 to jointly manage the Lake’s fisheries resources on behalf of the three partner States, but nevertheless Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing have had a continued impact on Nile perch. Its Biomass peaked at around 2.3 million tonnes in 1999 and accounted for 92% of total fish biomass but fell to less than 300,000 tonnes in 2008. Moreover, the average length of Nile perch has declined from 51.7 cm to 26.6 cm, as recorded in 2008, significantly below the required minimum size of 50 cm for export. -
DocumentPromotion of initiatives to ensure the sustainability of the mangrove crab fishery and its value chains in Madagascar 2014
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The mangrove crab fishery (Scylla scerrata) in Madagascar is an exclusively traditional fishing activity. Crab fishers walk or canoe through the mangroves and use very simple techniques and fishing gear such as a line or a hook mounted on a stick. It is estimated that about 80,000 people are involved in fishing and collecting mangrove crabs in Madagascar. Fishing and landing sites are often very difficult to access, and storage and transport facilities are very rudimentary: this is a sector that has significant post-harvest losses. In recent years, some mangrove areas – those most easily accessible - have already been over-exploited, resulting in a reduction in the average size of crabs caught.
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