Fisheries minister Bernhard Esau dismissed the statements indicating the recently-adopted Marine Resources Amendment Bill will grant more powers related to fishing quota allocation.
According to sources consulted by FIS.com, the new law enables the minister to identify entities diligently contributing to governmental objectives, policies and strategies” so that such entities may be incentivized with special quotas aimed at cementing initiatives that positively contribute to governmental objectives.
In this regard, Minister Esau ensured the new law merely “empowers him to perform his duties”.
“I am the minister therefore I must give rights and quotas supported by my colleagues in the ministry. Nothing is being done outside the law,” he pointed out, the newspaper New Era informed.
While motivating the Bill in the National Assembly, Esau remarked: “Amendment to the Act is required to allow the minister, in consultation with Cabinet, some scope particularly with regard to abnormal situations that warrant government intervention.”
In addition, Minister Esau expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that fishing rights were being sold to foreigners and with the continued dominance of the sector by a minority group.
On introducing his new Permanent Secretary, Dr Moses Maurihungirire, Esau expressed the strategic aims of his ministry: “Our ministry remains one of the key economic ministries of our government. We are critical to socio-economic development for the benefit of our citizens, and importantly the realisation of sustainable economic empowerment of the vast majority of all our people through their direct and indirect participation in the fishing sector”.
On the other hand, Esau announced that a new provision published in the Official Gazette states that the fisheries inspectors will be empowered to arrest those who violate fishing rules.
This means that inspectors can now arrest those guilty in the place where they are detected, instead of having to wait for other law enforcement officials for them to be arrested, he explained.
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