Concerns as tonnes of seagrass get lost

Dar es Salaam. It is estimated that 20 percent of seagrass in the Indian Ocean is lost every year due to human activities and climate change, something that experts say puts marine life at risk and may lead to a decrease in fish production.

According to Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (Tafiri), sea grasses are important for food and habitat for other marine organisms and its essential nursery for fish larvae production.

Speaking at the weekend during the exercise of replanting seagrass, Kigamboni District Commissioner Fatma Nyangasa asked the residents, which is largely surrounded by the Indian Ocean, to ensure that they do not destroy the grass which is a reserve for small fish.

She said that the decrease in the grass is largely due to human activities, including fishing using bombs, discharge of waste water and land degradation caused by agriculture.

The seagrass replant was held at Puna village as part of a three year project which was implemented in collaboration with, University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and Tafiri under Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (Wiomsa) funded.

“I have been told that other reasons that endanger the life of these grasses are the discharge of sewage into the sea, as well as the activities that take place on the shores of the sea that cause soil erosion and introduce mud into the sea and kill the grasses. Now let’s not allow this because we depend on the sea so we have every responsibility to take care of it,” she said.

For her part, a researcher from UDSM, Dr Blandina Lugendo, said the project started in 2019 and will be completed in December 2022 where one of the important results of the research is the correct methods of planting seagrass on beaches with strong waves.

She said that it is difficult for seagrass to return to their original areas in a natural way (even if the sources of damage have been controlled), especially where the damage involved its roots, thus making restoration through planting important.

Meanwhile, explaining the importance of seagrass, a researcher from Tafiri, Dr George Rushingisha, said that they are used for the development of larvae and other marine creatures, thereby contributing to the abundance of fish and income for the community, especially those who depend on fishing activities.

“These grasses absorb carbon dioxide, which they use in producing their food, thus contributing to reducing the effects of climate change. Destruction of seagrasses causes ecological losses and to the community, especially the one that depends on fishing as the main activity to earn income,” he said.