Fishermen from the Bumbwini coastal village, Unguja, in Tanzania have raised concern over restrictions imposed on them when they try to fish in most parts of Tanzania mainland waters.
“Tanganyika and Zanzibar form the United Republic of Tanzania, but fishing licences issued in Zanzibar are not recognized by authorities in the Mainland. We wonder why?” lamented the fishermen. The fishermen: Haji Salim Makame, Ame Haji Iddi, and Rashid Ahmada aired their complaints before reporters, saying fishermen from Zanzibar have been finding it difficult to operate in the mainland.
“We urge authorities from both Zanzibar and Mainland to meet and solve this problem. We need freedom to fish anywhere within the boundaries of Tanzania,” said Makame. He said that licences from either part in the union should be recognized to avoid inconveniences to fishers.
It is estimated that almost half of about 35,000 fishermen from Zanzibar cross to Tanzania mainland for fishing, but they are forced to return home because their licences are not recognised in the Mainland. Similar complaints were raised in the Zanzibar House of Representatives this year that, authorities in Mainland block fishermen from Zanzibar from operating in Tanzanian territorial waters, accusing them of illegal fishing.
2012 Tanzania Daily News