Normal trade returns to Ferry Fish market
What you need to know:
- Prices of fish have started to return to normal in Dar es Salaam after a steep drop during the past three days.
- The drop was occasioned by the arrest of several fishermen and the seizure of their fishing vessels due to what the government said was a lack of proper licenses for them to conduct the trade.
Dar es Salaam. Business has returned to normal at the Ferry Fish Market in Dar es Salaam, thanks to the release of dozens of arrested fishermen and their seized vessels.
Prices rose during the past three days due to a decline in supply of fish after the government arrested a total of 91 fishermen and seized their seven vessels over lack of licences.
With the drop in supply, the price of a 20-litre bucket of sardines – which normally fetches Sh30,000 – rose to Sh70, 000 as fishermen stopped fishing activities over fear of being arrested.
But yesterday, The Citizen witnessed that a number of the fishermen who had been arrested had returned to their businesses.
“Our colleagues were released on January 16 around 1.30pm, just immediately after the government’s announcement. After the release, even those who were in hiding came out and joined us in fishing,” the vice chairman of Fishing Vessels Owners in Dar es Salaam, Mr Saleh Msean said.
His task now as a leader will be to motivate the fishermen and owners of the vessels to apply and get their new licences before the deadline, which was issued by the government, is over.
“It is somehow challenging, since the number of our people is higher than the licence providers and the time given is too short,” he lamented.
According to him, there are more than 7, 000 fishermen who use the ferry fish market, but there is one centre which provides licences.
