>We are therefore facing common challenges in fisheries management such as over fished stocks, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, inadequate benefits from trade in fish and fish products, therefore, we need to be careful on how we meet this demand to enable us have sustainable fisheries industry in Africa
BY MBARAKA KAMBONA
THE Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries in Tanzania, Hon. Abdallah Ulega has asked the Africa Union member states to continue enhancing sustainable fishing because the sector plays an important socioeconomic role in building national economies through income generation, employment and food security thus supporting multitude of livelihoods.
Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Tanzania, Hon.Abdallah Ulega (Centre) pose in group photo with participants of The Consultative Meeting to Support AU Members States Involvement, Compliance with Global Instruments and Promote their Use by AU member States held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from March 28 to 30, 2022. Third from left is Dr. Mohamed Seisay, Senior Fisheries Officer, Inerafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (IBAR).
Hon. Ulega made the remarks on 28 March, 2022, when officiating the
Consultative Meeting, “To Support AU Members States Involvement,
Compliance with Global Instruments and Promote their Use by AU Member
States” held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
“We are all aware that
there is an ever-increasing demand for fish and fisheries products over
the past decade. Trade in fish and fishery products now constitute the
most highly traded food commodities internationally, leading to increase
in demand which have some negative impacts on the fishing ecosystems
and environment as well as declining fish stocks.
"We are therefore
facing common challenges in fisheries management such as overfished
stocks, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, inadequate
benefits from trade in fish and fish products, therefore, we need to be
careful on how we meet this demand to enable us have sustainable
fisheries industry in Africa,”insisted Hon.Ulega.
But,
according to him, the implementation of the Policy Framework and Reform
Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture (breeding, raising, and
harvesting fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants) in Africa and the
African Fisheries Reform Mechanism will go a long way in helping AU
member states to address some of those challenges and bring the sector
to the reform path.
“Tanzania is committed to the conservation
of our fisheries resources and sustainable development of aquaculture.
My Ministry is working closely with the key players in the fisheries
sector, including fishers, aqua farmers, fish processors and exporters,
regional fisheries management bodies, relevant regional multilateral
environment agreements, the private sector and the development partners
to bring about reforms and improved governance of the fisheries sector
with a view to increasing socio-economic benefits and stock
sustainability,”he added.
Moreover, he congratulated the African
Union for spearheading the development of the Policy Framework and
Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (PFRS) as well
as the African Fisheries Reform Mechanism (AFRM) and their proactive
leadership in the implementation of the Fisheries Governance Projects
(FISHGOV) in Africa saying that the PFRS and the AFRM through the
FISHGOV projects have provided the much needed guidance to the African
Union Member States in the actualization of the Malabo Declaration on
Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity
and Improved Livelihoods.
The Director of AU-IBAR, Dr Nick
Nwankpa said that the overall purpose of the meeting was in line with
the activities as provided for by the FishGov 2 project and he therefore
encouraged the participants to analyses the possibility for the
programme to focus at key issues affecting all African countries and
particularly priorities a strategy to increase the rate of adoption,
domestication and implementation of those Global Instruments as a
gateway to tackle key challenges and constraints affecting the growth of
the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
“Our attention should be
on enhancing partnerships, participation in high seas fisheries,
market access and integration, equitable investments, sustainable
fisheries and resources exploitation and illegal fishing which result in
depletion of the fisheries resources and loss of income amounting to
billions of dollars for the continent,”Dr.Nwankpa insists.