Why Tanzania's fish exports are falling

Mwanza. The focus on fish maws, which are used largely for texture and flavour absorption in soups, is having a negative impact on fish exports as fishermen shift their attention to the new “gold.”

This, together with a drop in European fish demand and some illegal fishing in Lake Victoria, among other issues, has been driving down fish exports in recent months.

Often simmered or braised for a long time, fish maw has now taken on the spices and other flavours used in the soup and add texture, analysts say.

Tanzania’s fish exports, which rose to Sh696 billion during the 2018/19 financial year from Sh379.25 billion in the 2015/16 financial year, declined to Sh453.81 billion during the first ten months of the 2022/23 financial year, official figures from the ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development show.

Besides, the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) said in one of its recent reports that there has been a drop in exports of fish to Europe during the last quarter of 2022.

"The value of fish sold in registered markets decreased by 15.8 percent to Sh120.4 billion from the value recorded in the similar quarter in 2021, driven by declines in Lake and Southern Highlands zones," the BoT says.

The reduction in the value of fish handled in the Lake Zone, which accounted for the lion’s share of overall value of fish traded during the quarter, was mostly due to a drop in demand in export markets, particularly in Europe.

Meanwhile, the decline of fish traded in the Southern Highlands zone was attributable to unfavourable weather for fishing activities at Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa.

The Tanzania Industrial Fishing and Processors Association (TIFPA) attributes the fall to quick cash that fishermen earn through the sale of fish maws (also known as swim bladder), which is a white, hard membrane found inside the body of the Nile Perch.

The TIFPA executive secretary, Onesmo Sulle, told The Citizen that a large amount of the commodity is sold on the black market, diminishing the maximisation of potential tax revenue in the country.

"It’s like gold in the sea,” said Mr Onesmo Sulle, hinting that, the demand has increased the level of illegal fishing to extract the maws.

As a result, TIFPA says the cartels of maw processors, traders and exporters have emerged to tap into the unregulated harvest of fish maw in the lake.

He said that high demand has led to illegal trading of the commodity which also affects the handling of the fish, and resulted in overfishing.

"To ensure that the fish maw trade benefits the country’s economy, we need to see well-funded implementation and the development of enforcement power to combat the entrenched illicit components at all levels," said Mr Sulle.

Furthermore, Mr Sulle said the shortage of Nile Perch has not only lowered fish export but also lowered the supply of industrial raw materials in the Mwanza region hence lowering industries’ processing hours.

"Currently, less than half of the 11 registered fish processing industries in Mwanza are still in operation. This has led to loss of employment due to retrenchment of staff," he said.

He said apart from its traditional use in soups, the fish maw was also being used for, among other functions, making surgical threads, plane parts and drugs. They were also being used as food in different Asian countries.

Mr Sulle cited the use of solar lamps in sardine fishing as one of the causes of deaths for some Nile perch and other fish species, urging that the government reassess the permit permitting the lamps.

"In short, illegal fishing and high demand of fish maws have reduced efficiency in industries by reducing fish processing used to be done in 11 industries in Mwanza region from an average of 90 percent per day five years ago to below 20 percent currently," he hinted.

"The government should reconsider its licence for the use of solar lamps, which are reported to drive Nile perch away and harm fish species in the lake," he said.

According to the Tanzania Fishers Union (Tafu) Secretary, Mr Jephta Machandaro, there was still little knowledge of the trade in the region, adding that there was an urgent need to take measures that would retain the stability of Nile Perch in the lake.

"Fishing in Lake Zone means life to some of us. More than 12 million Lake Zone dwellers depend on various activities done around the lake. Therefore, there is every reason that immediate measures should be taken to combat the situation," said Mr Jephta.

He further, suggested that, if it is impossible to ban the fish maws trade, which he claimed was done in the black market, the government must regulate the trade to ensure that it contributes to the country's economy.

"The people engaging in the trade claim that, locally, the fish maw of varying sizes fetches between Sh160,000 ($70) and Sh800,000 ($200) per kilogramme depending on the world market price," he said.

While smuggling could be high, official figures, produced in Parliament by the Livestock and Fisheries Development minister, Mr Abdallah Ulega, show that Tanzania earned Sh10.23 billion from official dried fish maw exports during the ten months of the 2022/23 financial year. As such, the government earned Sh2.542 billion in tax from their sale.

Furthermore, Jephta mentioned overpopulation to have contributed towards the high demand for fish in Lake Zone regions hence overfishing of Nile perch leading to low export.

"Whatever its use, today’s fishermen are eager to take advantage of fish maw’s secrecy growing market and its high prices. This threatens sustainable fishing in our country," he said.

Ironically, the Nile perch is an invasive species. It was introduced to Lake Victoria in 1950 and has been blamed for the disappearance of the native fish and for interfering with the lake’s ecosystem. But it is now an important part of the local economy.

Way forward

"In the mid-1990 our families were not interested in eating Nile perch because it was a newly established species instead they were eating native fish like Tilapia. But the situation has changed, due to unsustainable fishing, Nile perch is being targeted inside and outside the country," said Mr Elpius Mpanju (34), the Myfish Tanzania director.

Mr Mpanju who has invested more than Sh800 million in Tilapia cage fishing in Lake Victoria suggests that, in order to reduce Nile perch hunting and consumption in the country, Tilapia cage fishing is unavoidable.

He further, told The Citizen that, the government should also do research to identify if Nile perch can be grown in cages hinting that, it is the only way to increase fish supply and boost the fish trade in the country.

"In order to curb illegal fishing and limit maw trade, regulation might be the only answer to ensure sustainable harvesting of the fish," he suggested

In recent years, the government enacted the Deep Sea Fishing Management and Development Act 2020, replacing the Deep Sea Fishing Authority Act of 1998 with the aim of attracting more public and private sector investors in the sector.

The government has also reformed the Fisheries Act (No 22 of 2003) with the aim of separating fishing activities from water species issues.

It also amended the 2009 Fisheries Regulations to encourage the participation of locals in fishing activities.