The government of Tanzania has bought 16 boats and 12 engines worth 395m/- that will be used by fishing officials to strengthen surveillance and check illegal fishing practices in the country.
This was said by the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Mr Mashimba Ndaki said over the weekend during the occasion of handing over the boats and engines to officers in charge from Lake Victoria and Tanganyika zones, Indian Ocean zone, North-East zone and Southern highland zone.
Mr Ndaki said the equipment has been bought by the government so as to enable the ministry and its workers especially those from the fishing sector to carry out its primary responsibility of managing, protecting and developing the country’s fishing resources.
He urged the fishermen to ensure that they protect fish resources and shun involving themselves in illegal fishing activities.
For his part, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Dr Rashid Tamatamah said in the year 2021, a total of 194,804 small scale fishers participated in the fishing activities by using 57,991 fishing vessels enabling them to harvest 477,019 tonnes of fish worth 2.8tri/-.