Rufiji-Mafia Channel - Exploitation

The Rufiji–Mafia Channel ecosystem is endowed with valuable marine fisheries resources including Penaeid prawns. There are four dominant prawn species; Penaeus indicus, P. monodon, P. semisulcatus and Metepenaeus monoceros, all with significant economic value. Tanzania’s prawn fishing industry is the most important of the marine fisheries in terms of income and export value. Estimated catches over the past decade have been as high as 2,600 mt.yr-1. The prawn resources, together with other finfish species, contribute significantly to the social and economic welfare of the coastal communities. The prawn fishery provides employment and income to fishers and business people, and government revenue and foreign earnings for the country. Artisanal operators dominate the Tanzania prawn fishery, like any other fishery in this country. However, in terms of production, the large commercial prawn trawlers contribute a greater percentage of prawn products for export. These two major users of the prawn resource frequently enter into conflicts related to prawn resource sharing. The fish caught along with prawns in the commercial fishery are sold locally to domestic markets, particularly along the coastline, thereby contributing significantly to food security.

Tanzania’s prawn fishery industry lacks scientific information to facilitate planning, management and rational exploitation of the prawn resources. During 2008, the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute produced a report showing a serious decline in prawn stocks and by catch on the Tanzanian coast, which was linked to higher levels of resource exploitation (TAFIRI 2008). The report was discussed in a joint meeting involving the Fisheries Division, TAFIRI and prawn fishery stakeholders (small, medium and large-scale fishers) and a resolution to close the fishery for two years was reached. After in depth deliberation of the TAFIRI report, the meeting resolved to the following precautionary measures;

• Observe a two-year period of complete closure of prawn trawl fishing,
• Artisanal prawn fishers to continue fishing using legal fishing gears,
• Fishing license to be valid only within the district of issuance,
• During the period of prawn trawl fishing there should be monitoring to assess the effectiveness of closure. Assessment of the effectiveness of closure of commercial prawn trawling in Tanzania is sponsored by MACEMP project.