Govt to use armed forces to stop illegal fishing in L.Victoria

Livestock and Fisheries Development deputy minister Kaika Telele

The government is preparing to deploy soldiers from the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) on Lake Victoria in a move to combat illegal fishing activities, which have become rampant.

The wanton practice has led to reduction of number of fish in the lake, forcing some fish factories to close down.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Guardian on Monday, Livestock and Fisheries Development deputy minister Kaika Telele said the government has finally decided to involve all the armed forces’ departments - TPDF, Police Force, Prisons, and auxiliary police in combating the menace.

Telele said the decision comes after the government established that similar measures taken by Ethiopian and Ugandan governments proved successful.

“Uganda and Ethiopia have successfully curbed illegal fishing in their respective countries. This has led us to decide to borrow a page from the two in order to save our country,” he said.

Telele pointed out that armed forces will conduct strategic operations that will control fishing in the area. 

Illegal fishing, whether large or small scale, is responsible for the depletion of this natural resource, which is so precious to millions of Tanzanians, Ugandans and Kenyans living around the Lake.

Manase Sanga, who is an official of Tanzania Fish Processors Limited (TFP), warned that if strong measures are not going to be taken to end illegal fishing, many fish processing factories will close shop.

“A fish factory cannot operate if there are no fish in the lake. Illegal fishing activities are decimating all the future fish that are not supposed to be fished. It’s high time the government addressed this matter and ensured that those implicated are punished accordingly,” he said.

He noted that the number of fish in Lake Victoria has fallen drastically and the fishing industry is bound to collapse unless the government intervenes.
In recent years, he said, perch species which are mainly for exportation, have decreased than ever before.

He added that the government needs to support ongoing initiatives to sensitise local people on good fishing practices and use of legal fishing gear as specified in the Fisheries Act, 2003.

“Although processing of under size Nile Perch is prohibited by law, there are some stakeholders who accept it and encourage its harvesting. We cannot process a perch with less than 50 centimeter,” he said.

Some of the fish processing factories that are in Mwanza are Vic Fish Ltd, Tanzania Fish Processer Ltd (TFP), Nile Perch Ltd, Victoria Perch Ltd, Omega Ltd and Tan Perch Ltd.

More than five million people are involved in fishing activities in Lake Zone with money circulation in Mwanza Region to the tune of 600m/- a day.

According to scientific research, Nile perch yields in past years were 1,000,000 tonnes, but a 2010 study shows that there were only 380,000 tonnes fished out per year.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN