The climate change impact is the leading challenge upsetting the fishing sector around the Lake Tanganyika. With this article more challenges and some upgraded strategieswill be highlighted as the way forward to address the fishing challenges in the lake.
More challenges include post harvest loss which range between 40 and 70 percent especialyduring the rain seasons.
An expert from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Sub-regional fisheries and agriculture officer based in Ethiopia, Dr Martin van der Knaap noted that a new project (FISH4ACP) has been designed to help unlock the potential of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in Africa, Caribbian and Pasific, Tanzania’s sardine, sprat and perch value chain being artisanal in nature, thus putting the country at the forefront of progress within the global activities.
Out of other direct internal weakness stakeholders meeting recently in Kigoma region (December 6, 2021) outlined high level of losses due to lack of knowledge and poor working equipment, poor services for proper handling of fish as well as lack of coldrooms, insulated boxes, refregrated transport and cold storage.
The sector has been weakened with limited linkages to high-value markets, inadequate investment in the value chain due to limited financial resources of value chain actors, limited outreach of banks to provide formal bank loans to value chain actors and high interest rates charged.
“Apart from fishers, the number of fulltime equivalent remunerative jobs in the value chain is low while gender norms still restrain women’s participation in and benefists from the value chain,” explains part of the paper presented at the workshop by Dr. Knaap.
He outlines flooded landing sites due to climate change, limited facilities at landing sites due to lack of investment as well as lack of local government budget for adequate monitoring and enforcement of laws related to licesing and illgal fishing existing all around the lake.
In the long period, fishing has been thwarted with myriad challenges including inadequate sustainable fisheries policies due to lack of data on stock status, fishing efforts and catch, which is due to lack of technical and financial capacities.
According to Dr Knaap, stakeholders further discussed about external threats including uncertain sustainability of fish stocks, competitions from cheaper fish substitutes and climate change induced floods destroying lakeside infrastructure apart from unpredictable weather patterns due to climate change posing challenges to value chain operations. “Shocks such ascovid disrupt value chain operations and prevent cross-border trade,” the participants noted.
Cosmas Matala is a fisherman from Kasanga, Kalambo in Rukwa region, agrees that poor fishing contributes to pour development due to inadequate access to the market in time,“Long time spent in catching, transportation from deep water to the market as well as lack ofcoldroom contribute extensively to the post harvest loss,” adds Cosmas Matala.
Agnes Salleh, a resident of Karima Division in Katavi region has no access to an appropriate technology thus, using local stove in fish processing, “the smoke used from the stove increases low quality of the product,” says Agness Salleh, a woman processor from Kataviadding that the cost of drying fish lead the women processor to loose the quality of sprat, sardine and perch.
“We ask the government to conduct short time training to help us access to the soft loans and raise the quality of fish processing,”
Another stakeholder, Vangelina Yeremiah noted the increased cost of purchase, process and transportation while still using a small container to to carry the products while walking around seeking local customers and consumers.
With an experience of 15 years, Vangelina asks the government and development stakeholders to empower poor women with both training and financial resources through soft loan schemes to operate smoothly.
In an efforts to address the outlined challenges and strategies, FAO –Tanzania’s OfficerHashim Muumin sketched four main strategic options which have been emerged including adaptation of improved processing techniques with special focus in quality, improved traditional processing, enhanced use of cold chain for fresher frozen perch.
Muumin said the project will also engage with linkages to high-value markets and increase participation by women as most processors are women with poor equipment, financial constraints and poor skills. “The project also expects to ensure increased complience with fisheries legislations with much focus in fish stock assessment for sustainability.
Earlier, an expert in value chain from FAO, Giang Duong expanded the need for equity and gender equality insisting on the thorough study to be conducted to add to the recently study.
Giang Duong explain in implementing of the value chain under project activities should involve the gender issues after the study revealing challenges in gender constraints and opportunities especially the reasons for low participation of women and girls in the value chain project implementation.
“There will be another comprehensive study conducted to explore the root causes of the constraints and identify opportunities and solutions to address more challenges and seek further information about women with intention to increase women participation,” said GiangDuong adding that recommendations will be added to the designed actin plan for implementation of the project in all stages.
She adds that after the study, special training will be organised to empower women in organisations on how to form economic groups, human rights, leadership and communication, and awareness raising on gender equity and women’s rights.
Officiating the stakeholders meeting, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Dr Rashid Tamatamah said, FISH4ACP is a five-year project involving 12 African, Caribbean and Pasific states (OACP) financed by the European Union (EU) and the Germany Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented by FAO.
“The project uses value chain analysis (VCA) to identify and support value chain upgrading and development in capture fisheries and aquaculture,” said Dr Tamatamah.
According to Dr Tamatamah, the Lake Tanganyika sprat, sardne and perch value chain in Tanzania is one of the 12 value chains competitively selected for programme implementation.He further said FISH4ACP was launched in the country in October 2020the value chain analysis, possible upgrading strategy and a detailed project plan are being assessed in 2021 with the main project to be implemented in 2022 – 2024.
The Ministry of
Livestock and Fisheries has a long strategic plan in place to address the
challenges of fishing industry in a bid to increase its contribution in the
national economy.
In his remarks to open the workshop for upgrading strategy, the Parmanent Secretary for Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Rashid Tamatamah said the government has been setting potential strategies to confront challenges in the fishing sector in a bid to increase its inputs in the national income.
“So far the government has improved business environment for fish products and enacting the framework to control illegal fishing and smuggling as well as seting of sustainable fishing conditions” said Dr Tamatamah.
“The government has successfully controlled illegal fishing and improved regulations on sustainable fishing,” says Dr Tamatamah.
Meanwhile, Tanzania has been commended as a leading instrumental in establishing the objectives of the international year of artisanal fisheries and aquaculture (IYAFA) which is scheduled to be marked next year (2022), it has been learned here.
According to food and agriculture organisation (FAO) Sub-regional fisheries and agriculture officer based in Ethiopia, Dr Martin van der Knaap, Tanzania’s sardine, sprat and perch sector is artisanal in nature, thus put the country at the forefront of progress within the global activities for the forthcoming year 2022.
“It is important to note that the year 2022 marks the international year of artisanal fisheries and aquacultere (IYAFA 2022) with FAO serving as the lead UN agency,” remarked DrKnaap in in his oppening statement of the FISH4ACP project planning workshop held recently (December 6, 2021) in Kigoma region.
He further noted that IYAFA’s international committee recognizes the leading role played by Tanzania as an instrumental in implementing its objectives directly linked to FISH4ACP project allocated in Lake Tanganyika.
The objective elucidates that it enhances global awareness and actions to support the contribution and sustainable development of small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture. This includes actions to improve food and nutrition security, poverty eradication and optimal use of natural resources.
In another development, Dr Knaap pointed that it is an initiative out of other multiple projectsworiking on the Lake Tanganyika adding that FAO in collaboration with stakeholders need to connect the different institutions, fishers, women fish processors, Beach Management Units (BMUs) and others in implementing FISH4ACP project.
He said the project expects to be operated in Zambia to further increase linkages and integration.
So far FISH4ACP has been embarked in the study in Tanzania and similar study will be conducted in Zambia under the same financing support of the European Union, “EU is furthesupporting the lakes fisheries by its project under the wider umbrella of the ECOFISH Programme with headquarters in Mauritius and one of the components is Lake Tanganyika Fisheries Management Project (LATAFIMA) which of course is implemented under the auspices of the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA).
According to Dr Knaap LTA is the fruit of FAO’s Committees for Inland Fisheries andAqualculture of Africa (CIFAA) with a sub-committee for themanagement of Lake Tanganyika consisting of fisheries administrators and researchers of the four countries (namely Tanzania, Zambia, DRC and Burundi) around the lake, established in 2009.
Meanwhile ministers of member states surrounding the Lake Tanganyika met in Kigoma region in western Tanzania to discuss together strategies to address the challenges and threats of the second world deep water. The meeting held on December, 2021 was officiated by the Vice President of Tanzania, Dr Phillip Mpango urging ministers to engage in sustainable management of the lake.
The 9th- meeting attracted ministers for environmental conservation from Zambia, DRC (Congo), Burundi and the host country Tanzania. Dr Mpango called for fully participation in contributing of membership annual fee to enable smooth running of the roles and strategic plans in place to address the emerging challenges of climate change impact through sustainable conservation of Lake Tanganyika.
“Tanzania has been a
leading instrumental in implementing strategies and will remain
prepared all the time collaboting with state members in implementing
the agreement of sustainable management of Lake Tanganyika for the sustainable
development of the lake.
Lake Tanganyika remain to be the second world deep water with copious resources, being surrounded with a population of 10 million people.
“The Lake Tanganyika has been endowed with unique creatures not available anywhere in the world, therefore the ministers responsible with environment, water and aquaculture, agriculture and other stakeholders should go deeply in contemplating and coming up with solutions that will bring changes through regulations and strategic plans in place,” urged Vice President Dr Phillip Mpango adding that all state members have the role to play to address all threats like soil erosion and environmental degradation in the Lake as well ensuring standard fishing.
He insisted that responsible ministers from state members participated in the meeting to utilize the opportunity of meeting to cement mutual cooperation, increase participation in implementation of agreement and strengthen sustainable management of Lake Tanganyika with intention to benefits all generations.
In another development the Deputy Minister of State, Vice Presidents Office (responsible with union and environment), Hamad Chande said the decisition to form the cooperation in sustainable management of Lake Tanganyika was meant to identify threats and challenges of environmental degradation in the Lake Tanganyika, commending the effort as it has brought various benefits including implementing togather the development plans, strategic plans for biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of Lake Tanganyika resources.
The Chairperson of the meeting was Collins Nzovu, the minister for green economic from Zambia. He called for priorities in addressing environmental degradation of Lake Tanganyika urging member states to enforce the policy for environmental conservation in the economic development plans and carbon reduction schemes which aim to lower the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas.
ENDS
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