Tanzania government has plans to revive fishing corporations
Dodoma. The government said yesterday that it was reviving the Tanzania Fishing Corporation (Tafico) and the Zanzibar Fishing Corporation (Zafico) with a view to maximising benefits of the blue economy.
Deputy Fisheries minister Abdallah Ulega said in Parliament yesterday that the government would procure four fishing vessels in the 2021/22 financial year whereby Tafico and Zafico will each get two of them.
He was responding to a subsidiary question from Special Seats Member of Parliament (MP) Fakharia Shomari Khamis who sought to know the government’s plans to reap big from the much-touted blue economic model.
Specifically, she wanted to know plans in place regarding issuance of improved technology and strategies to train operators of the new eight ships to be purchased by the government.
“Fishermen will be trained on the importance using the Global Positioning System (GPS) that will improve efficiency of their activities,” Mr Ulega said.
He said through the Agriculture Fishing Development Programme (AFDP), 15,000 women and 10,000 youth will benefit from marine culture in Zanzibar’s coastline.
In her main question, the MP sought to know the government’s plans to contain illegal fishing in the country and the number of marine vessels seized over illegal fishing in the country between 2015 and 2020.
In his response, Mr Ulega said the government is planning to amend the fisheries laws in order to intensify its efforts and strengthen its cooperation with other countries including the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) member countries in fighting uncoordinated and unreported illegal fishing.
“One ship was confiscated carrying illegal fishing on the deep sea between 2015 and 2020. The owner was fine to pay Sh1 billion or serve 20 years in prison,” he said.
He said the government has prepared strategies to improve protection and participatory management of fisheries resources involving the society to protect fisheries resources through councils, village governments and Beach Management Units (BMU).
“The government has strengthened and improved the Vessels Monitoring System (VMS) from the Meta Fisheries that has been used from 2010 to 2015 when only ships installed with Argos monitoring equipment could be seen,” he said.
