Mozambique’s Ministry of Fisheries says it has spent US$15 million over the past five years in the fight against illegal fishing in the country’s waters, APA learns here on Monday.Fisheries Minister Victor Borges is quoted by state news agency AIM as saying that Mozambique had employed a platform of vigilance via satellite, river and lake patrols, and campaigns of good fishery practices.
A campaign to promote good fishing practices was launched in April in Chidenguele in the southern province of Gaza. Borges stressed that the campaign is intended to inform fishermen what they should and should not do.
With the help of the Community Fishing Councils (CCP), the Minister thought it would be possible to reduce the amount of illegal fishing year after year.
He recalled that a vessel flying a foreign flag, which had come from Madagascar, was fined around US$700,000 in March 2012 when it illegally entered Mozambican waters, and was caught about 150 nautical miles from the coast.
Data from the 2012 census of the sector indicate that there about 40,000 small scale fishing boats in Mozambique, but of these only 1,000 use a motor. During the visit, Borges delivered outboard motors to 15 fishermen.
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