In order to control cheating in deep sea fishing, responsible authorities have been advised to review the statutory licensing regulations alongside the possibility of reviving Tanzania Fishing Company (TAFICO).
The advice was given here by the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Charles John Tizeba, at a consultative meeting of the authority’s members of staff. The meeting, which was held at the Authority’s head offices in Fumba coastal village, was also attended by his Zanzibar counterpart, Mr Hamad Rashid Mohamed.
Dr Tizeba argues that the benefit from deep sea fishing is small compared to the reality because the country has vast populations of fish which attract foreign fishing vessels. “Many foreign fishing ships come to Tanzania mainly because of the availability of fish and the weak regulations in licensing fishing activities.
They pay 50,000 US dollars to fish Tuna, but we cannot monitor the whole fish catch,” the minister said. He said the Deep Sea Fishing Authority has the opportunity to increase revenue and jobs for Tanzanians if it reviews the licensing regulations in collaboration with other agencies like SUMATRA, ZMA, Navy, and DMI.
2016 AllAfrica