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The present report is an update of all activities, at national level, related to fisheries and species under IOTC mandate, including fisheries statistics, management and research activities. In the year 2017 the total catch of IOTC primary species within Mozambique EEZ was 7,700 tons of which 67% came from domestic fisheries. A total of 33 longliners and four purse seiners of distant water fishing nations were licensed in 2017 and produced a total catch of 2,728 tons, representing a decrease of 21% when compared with the catch reported by the foreign fleet operating in Mozambican waters during 2016. The national industrial tuna fleet licensed two longline vessels, which produced a total catch of 257 tons, representing an increase of 119% compared to the catch of the year 2016. The semi-industrial linefishery fleet of 33 vessels (14m-19m LOA) targeting primarily rocky bottom demersal fish, landed about 60 tons Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel. The multi-gears and multi-species artisanal sector landed 4,821 tons of IOTC primary species, representing an increase of 30% compared to the catch of the year 2016. Like in the previous year this group was dominated by Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel with 73% of the total catch. The capture of shark (IOTC and non IOTC sharks) by this sector, in the year 2017, was 2336 ton of which hammerhead sharks represented 71%. The recreational and sport fishing sector, which also catches IOTC primary species, issued 4486 individual licenses in 2017, a same figure of the year 2016. The total catch of IOTC primary species by this sector was roughly estimated around 58 tons. Data collection and reporting of fisheries statistics for this sector, including the nominal catch, is still a challenge.
To improve the knowledge about the dynamic of tuna fisheries, some tools and programs have been implemented at national level. A logbook system is in place for industrial and semi-industrial fleet and scientific observers have been regularly embarked on-board the fishing vessels. In 2017, 11 % of the total fishing days were covered by scientific observers on-board national longline vessels. For artisanal fisheries, a landing sampling scheme is in place and to continue improving the coverage and the quality of fisheries data, there are ongoing activities which include a pilot implementation of the FAO ARTFISH data collection framework. With respect to sharks, in 2017 Mozambique organized a training course on shark’s species identification including identification based on fins and, in order to get inputs for the NPOA-sharks, a national workshop for shark’s main issues identification was conducted. For the recreational fisheries, a comprehensive update of the recreational fisheries census conducted in 2008 is planned for year 2019 in order to fill the gaps and improve the knowledge on the dynamic of the fishery.
