Tanzania - National Report 2019

The tuna and tuna-like fishing in Tanzanian are dominated by artisanal fleets, which use local multi-gears landing multi-species catch. Most of the fishing vessels range from 3 to 11 meters long. The main gears are manually handled drift nets and anchored gillnets, ring nets, hand line, purse seiner and long lines. Industrial fishery in the Tanzanian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are conducted by Distant Water Fishing Nations (DWFNs) using large scale purse seiner and long line vessels targeting tropical tuna such as skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tuna. Artisanal fishery statistics from Tanzania for the year 2018 shows a nominal catch of 22,171 tons for tuna and tuna like species which is higher compared to 5,410.2 tons reported in 2015. The total number of vessels targeting tuna and tuna like in Tanzania is 6,336. The fishery is comprised of different number of fishing gears including 15,428 longline, 32,772 hand line, 3,677 anchored gill nets, 66,679 drift gillnet and 743 ring nets. The survey report shows that the weight of Skipjack was 1,292.73 tons, Kanadi 3,175.73 tons, Bigeye 593.68 tons, Swordfish 2,592.73 tons, Kawakawa 3,121.03 tons and Shark 3,087.03 tons. The Deep Sea Fishing Authority has been sign a LoU with IOTC regarding the implementation of the Regional Observer Scheme (ROS) in the United Republic of Tanzania. Under National Observer Program (NPO), observations for artisanal tuna and tuna-like and shark fisheries have been conducted in seven major landing sites in the country. However, there are no port observations or sampling recorded in year 2018 as there are no industrial fishing vessel licensed, trans-shipping or offloading fish at port. Tanzania has developed “EEZ Fisheries Research Agenda 2018-2027” to guide research that will support development and management of tuna and tuna-like fishery in Tanzanian waters. The agenda is implemented with a number of research areas, namely Biological research of tuna, tuna-like species, sharks and other living resources; Environmental research; Fishery related research; Stock assessment research; Business planning and social and economic research; and Monitoring, Control and Surveillance. Furthermore, Tanzania has drafted a National Plan of Action for the conservation and management of sharks and rays that is expected to be endorsed by 2020.