An exhibitor in the just-ended 17th East Africa International Trade Fair exhibition held in Dar es Salaam over the weekend has expressed disappointment at the low fish catch, despite the well publicised abundance of the marine resource in the country.
The exhibitor went on to recount the reasons behind the low catch, also well known to policy makers in the country.
That the sector has for years been mainly dominated by poor small fishermen, whose small boats can hardly manage to venture into deep waters where fish is in abundance.
This and the fact that large scale fishing accounts for a mere 10 per cent of the total catch are well known.
Despite the abundance of the resource, the current annual fish catch is only about 350,000 metric tonnes.
Statistics obtained from the government website show that most of the fish caught is consumed locally with exception of sardines and prawns that are mostly for exports contributing to GDP a mere 1.6 to 3.1 percent annually.
The 80,000 small fishermen obtaining their livelihood directly from fishery related activities and those depending on them cannot be expected to meet the growing national demand and export, unless deliberate moves are made to direct resources into the sector.
The question we should be asking ourselves is why the sector with such a huge potential to change lives of our people has remained stagnant for so long?
This is not to say that there have not been efforts to start turning the sector around into a revenue generating source for the nation.
Indeed in the recent past, the government launched patrols against illegal foreign fishermen in the country’s exclusive economic zone, nabbing some and instituting legal measures against them.
Hopefully the measures will continue to ensure that those seeking to fish in the country’s water will follow the rules and thus enable the country to earn due revenue from their activities.
But it is about more than guarding the resources. The government has to create the conditions which will attract serious investors into the sector.
It must also make the public aware of these measures and how Tanzanians will be involved so that maximum benefits can accrue to the national economy.
That these investors will not only fish and export, but process and value the fish within the country and in the process create jobs and boost export earnings.
We are aware of the many government statements of commitment to help small fishermen organise themselves and access the resources to ensure the sector contributes more to the national economy.
How much has the government really done to help the small fishermen to organise and access financial resources?
Is it true that we cannot create the conditions that will enable our people to get hold of and operate bigger vessels to assure them of bigger catch?
That there has hardly been enough investment in the sector to boost the small fishermen reflects the truism that without deliberate organisational discipline, we will continue to complain about poverty and sometimes blame its victims, amidst the stated abundance of fish resources.
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