European Union partnering with Tanzania to preserve fishery resources

24.09.2021
Tanzania

Friday 24, September 2021, Dar es Salaam.
E€OFISH, a European Union programme, awarded a direct grant worth EUR 2 million to Southern West Indian Ocean (SWIO) countries to tackle illegal fishing by organizing joint patrols in addition to National Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) efforts.

E€OFISH, a European Union programme, awarded a direct grant worth EUR 2 million to Southern West Indian Ocean (SWIO) countries to tackle illegal fishing by organizing joint patrols in addition to National Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) efforts.

In this framework Tanzania’s Deep Sea Fishing Authority was awarded a grant of about EUR 120,000 for implementing a project for a better monitoring and control of fishing activities in Tanzania territorial waters.

EU Ambassador Manfredo Fanti commented the award as “a concrete and promising move towards the control of regional Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing activities in the region that will improve sovereignty and effective use of marine resources”.

The project is named “Curbing IUU fishing within Extended Economic Zone (EEZ) and transboundary waters of Tanzania and SWIO region”.

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is a long standing burning issue in all coastal African countries in particular in the SWIO countries generating a remarkable depletion of marine resources and a considerable environmental and economic damage including in Tanzania.

The European Union through the programme “Contribution of Sustainable Fisheries to the Blue Economy of the Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean region (E€OFISH)” aims among others at supporting the participation National Competent Authorities of SWIO countries to the Regional Fisheries Surveillance Plan of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).

The project will last 36 months with the objectives of:

  • Providing accurate data on fishing vessels in Tanzania waters to isolate any IUU fishing activities;
  • Enhancing sharing of information with neighbouring countries on high risk areas during regional joint sea patrols;
  • Conducting inspection of the vessels according to Port State Measures;
  • Conducting observer program both at sea and land observer for verifying landed catch according to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Resolutions;
  • Collecting mandatory data (coastal fisheries data) according to the IOTC Resolutions; and
  • Strengthening the MCS Centre by training officers on the MCS activities – Inspection, Observation, Enforcement and Prosecution.