How deep sea fishing will be monitored more closely

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has begun implementing a pilot project using electronic monitoring to gather real-time data on deep-sea fishing activities.

This initiative, funded by USAID and led by the Deep Sea Fishing Authority (DSFA), aims to promote sustainable fishing practices and combat illegal activities. The project is expected to run until 2026.

The project will focus on real-time data, catch events, and compliance with the law, according to the permanent secretary in the ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Prof Riziki Shemdoe.

Read: Tanzania loses Sh15 billion in five years due to illegal fishing

Speaking during the official opening of the installation workshop yesterday and bringing together various stakeholders, Prof Shemdoe said the project is timely as the government implements its blue economy agenda, which requires accurate data on deep-sea fishing activities.

He said before the project, the authority had to send officers to physically observe fishing vessels, but such a method failed to provide real-time data and consumed more time.

“This is a new approach in Tanzania for sustainable fishing. After this project, we won’t need to send personnel to the deep sea to observe fishing activities as the system can operate independently and send information via satellite,” he said.

Prof Shemdoe added that there are internationally accepted fishing practices that should be observed in the deep sea.

“For instance, if the intention is to catch tuna and it happens that other fish are accidentally caught, there is a proper way to return them to their natural environment without harm. The system will monitor and report all such activities,” he said.

According to him, the project will start with three fishing vessels, Biostar 507, Biostar 508, and Pacific Star, whose owners have agreed with the DSFA to be part of the three-year pilot project.

After three years, the government will be able to accurately manage deep-sea fishing, he added.

He said the ministry has already issued 100 licenses to vessels, adding that such a system will enable the authorities to monitor everything and maintain sustainable fishing.

DSFA senior fisheries officer and focal person of the project, Mr Azizi Daudi, said the project started in 2023, but implementation began this year and is set to conclude in 2026.

He said apart from focusing on the three areas—real-time data, catch events, and compliance—the system will also monitor how the fishermen return the accidentally caught fish to their natural environment without harming them.

For real-time data, the system will record the type of fish, length, weight and energy used to catch them, helping to eliminate unreliable data.