Government warns fishers of severe El Niño impacts

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has urged coastal fishing communities to prepare for possible disruptions from a potentially severe El Niño event as the government launched a new project to strengthen the resilience of small-scale fisheries to climate change.

Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Prof Mohammed Ali Sheikh, said fishermen should closely monitor weather information and take precautions as experts anticipate the possibility of a “super El Niño”.

“Worldwide, in the Pacific and in this context of the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, we expect to have a ‘super El Niño ’, and let us pray to God this does not happen,” Prof Sheikh said.

He was speaking on Wednesday at a national inception workshop for the African Group of Experts on Negotiations (AGNES) project, An Inclusive Multistakeholder Evidence-Based Approach Towards Climate-Resilient Fisheries Management in Small-Scale Fishing Communities Along the Coast of Tanzania.

The project, supported by the Biodiversity and Climate Fund (BCF), seeks to strengthen the link between scientific evidence, policy and practice in managing coastal small-scale fisheries.

It brings together the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Zanzibar’s Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries, scientists, researchers, policymakers, Beach Management Units (BMUs), fisherfolk representatives and other stakeholders.

Prof Sheikh said the possible El Niño event made the project particularly timely, given the growing pressure climate change is placing on coastal ecosystems and fishing-dependent communities.

“Fishermen should monitor their journeys. As we approach the period when experts tell us that El Niño might occur, precautions should be taken when going out to fish,” he said.

He stressed that climate change and extreme weather could not be prevented, making adaptation and resilience essential.

“We don’t know what specific impacts will occur. Therefore, it can disrupt the lives of fishermen,” Prof Sheikh said.

The warning comes as Tanzania’s coastal fisheries face multiple climate-related pressures, including rising sea-surface temperatures, coral bleaching, mangrove degradation and declining fish catches.

Prof Sheikh said changes in marine conditions were already affecting fish availability and breeding grounds.

The AGNES project seeks to address these challenges by combining scientific research with indigenous and traditional knowledge held by fishing communities.

Prof Sheikh welcomed the approach, saying communities should not simply be presented with solutions developed elsewhere without being consulted about what works in their environment.

AGNES team leader Dr George Wamukoya said the project was deliberately designed to bring fishing communities and government decision-makers together to identify practical responses to climate change.

“How can we work with fishermen and the government to understand what challenges fishermen and seaweed farmers and other actors are facing, and what type of local solutions by themselves can be considered together with the scientific community so that we can have sustainable solutions?” he said.

Dr Wamukoya said Tanzania had considerable potential to expand its ocean economy because of its extensive coastline and large Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

He said the ocean economy could potentially contribute between 20 and 30 percent of GDP, highlighting the economic opportunity alongside the need to protect marine resources.

Zanzibar’s Officer-in-Charge of the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries, Dr Salim Mohamed Hamza, said coastal communities were already experiencing the effects of changing climatic conditions.

He said fishing catches had declined, while seaweed farmers who previously cultivated the crop in shallow waters were increasingly being forced into deeper waters.

“The people in the coastal regions need knowledge; they need training on how they can adapt to climate change, but also to make sure that their livelihood can be sustained,” Dr Hamza said. He said rising sea levels, mangrove destruction and coral bleaching were among the challenges facing coastal communities.

He described the AGNES project as timely and said Zanzibar was committed to ensuring its objectives were achieved and that the interventions benefited coastal communities.

Prof Sheikh said the government was already implementing several measures, including supporting fish farming, providing fishing equipment, restoring mangroves and expanding deep-sea fishing.

He said the government had provided more than 1,000 fish cages in freshwater over the past two years, while plans were underway to introduce marine fish cages.

The government is also seeking to expand fishing activities into Tanzania’s EEZ, where Prof Sheikh said pressure on resources was lower than in territorial waters.