Serikali ya Tanzania yahitaji kuchukua hatua kali dhidi ya meli za uvuvi za kigeni, hasa kutoka China, zinazofanya shughuli za uvuvi haramu, zisizoripotiwa, na zisizodhibitiwa (IUU) ndani ya eneo la kiuchumi la bahari la Tanzania (EEZ).
Tanzania inapaswa kuwa mnufaika mkuu wa rasilimali za uvuvi zilizopo katika EEZ yake. Shughuli za uvuvi haramu zinazoendeshwa na mataifa ya nje si tu kwamba zinainyima Tanzania mapato yake halali, bali pia ni ukiukwaji wa mamlaka ya kiuchumi na ya mipaka ya nchi.
Ripoti iliyotolewa mapema mwaka 2024 na Shirika la Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) lenye makao yake makuu nchini Uingereza, ilibainisha uwepo wa uvuvi haramu na ukiukwaji mkubwa wa haki za binadamu unaofanywa na meli za Wachina zinazofanya shughuli zao katika Bahari ya Hindi ya Kusini Magharibi, zikiwemo maji ya Tanzania.
Ripoti hiyo ya EJF iliyopewa jina la "Tide of Injustice: Exploitation and Illegal Fishing on Chinese Vessels in the Southwest Indian Ocean", iliitaja moja kwa moja meli za uvuvi za mbali za China—ambazo ndizo kubwa zaidi duniani kwa idadi na kiwango cha mavuno—kuwa zinahusika katika uvuvi haramu na manyanyaso ya kibinadamu. Matendo haya yanatishia uendelevu wa rasilimali za uvuvi duniani, kuhatarisha mifumo ya ikolojia baharini, na kudhoofisha mifumo ya utawala ya kitaifa na kimataifa.
Kwa mujibu wa Lengo la Maendeleo Endelevu (SDG) namba 14.4, uvuvi wa kupindukia, shughuli za IUU, na mbinu haribifu za uvuvi zinazofanywa na meli kubwa za kibiashara pamoja na wavuvi wadogo wasiodhibitiwa ni changamoto kubwa duniani kote—na Tanzania haijanusurika.
===================
How China’s illegal fishing vessels bleed Tanzanian fishing resources in its EEZ
The government of Tanzania needs to take stern measures against foreign fishing vessels especially from China that are carrying out their illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in the Tanzanian exclusive economic zones (EEZs).
Tanzania should be the primary beneficiary of the fishing resources in its EEZ. IUU fishing activities by outside entities not only disadvantages Tanzania but also violates Tanzanian territorial and economic sovereignty.
A report released in early 2024 by the UK-based Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) revealed severe IUU fishing and human rights violations by Chinese vessels operating in the Southwest Indian Ocean, including Tanzanian waters.
EJF's report, titled “Tide of Injustice: Exploitation and Illegal Fishing on Chinese Vessels in the Southwest Indian Ocean,” implicated China’s distant-water fleet—the largest globally by vessel count and catch volume—in widespread IUU fishing and abuses. These practices threaten global fishery sustainability, endanger marine ecosystems, and undermine national and international governance.
According to sustainable development goal (SDG) 14.4, overfishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, along with destructive practices by both industrial vessels and unregulated small-scale fishers, remain major challenges globally—and Tanzania is no exception.
Efforts to combat overfishing, IUU fishing, and destructive fishing practices cannot succeed without the active involvement of local civil society and communities.
Prioritizing Tanzanian control and access to its marine resources is essential—not only for safeguarding national sovereignty but also for enhancing food security, promoting sustainable economic growth, and protecting marine ecosystems.
In a recent exclusive interview with this platform, Dr Modesta Medard, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Tanzania, Seascape Programme Lead emphasized the organization’s on-going efforts to promote sustainable use of marine resources and combat IUU fishing.
Dr Medard highlighted several key initiatives spearheaded by WWF Tanzania under the Seascape Programme, including supporting cost-effective monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) training, in collaboration with local fisheries management bodies such as Beach Management Units (BMUs), marine security practitioners, the Fisheries Education and Training Agency (FETA), and district authorities.
She further noted that WWF have been among others assisting in the development of Tanzania’s national plan of action to prevent, deter, and eliminate IUU fishing and conducting quarterly and semi-annual resource monitoring in Marine Protected Areas and community-led Collaborative Fisheries Management Areas (CFMAs).
On February 13, 2025, the National Assembly revealed that Tanzania loses approximately 15.16bn/- annually due to illegal fishing, unregistered vessels, and poor data collection.
The report, tabled and approved by the National Assembly, assessed the registration of vessels and fishers, as well as the monitoring and coordination of fishing activities.
In his budget speech for the 2024/2025 fiscal year, delivered on June 27, 2024, Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Abdallah Hamis Ulega announced that by April 2024, the Deep-Sea Fishing Authority (DSFA) had issued 67 licenses for deep-sea fishing.
Only one of these was to a domestic fleet, while the remaining 66 were to foreign fleets.
Dr. Emmanuel Sweke, Director General of the Tanzania Deep Sea Fishing Authority (DSFA) stated that although Tanzania has not yet ratified the Ports State Measures (PSMA), the process is underway.
PSMA plays a crucial role in fighting IUU fishing by restricting port access to non-compliant vessels and preventing them from entering international markets.
Ends.
Tanzania inapaswa kuwa mnufaika mkuu wa rasilimali za uvuvi zilizopo katika EEZ yake. Shughuli za uvuvi haramu zinazoendeshwa na mataifa ya nje si tu kwamba zinainyima Tanzania mapato yake halali, bali pia ni ukiukwaji wa mamlaka ya kiuchumi na ya mipaka ya nchi.
Ripoti iliyotolewa mapema mwaka 2024 na Shirika la Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) lenye makao yake makuu nchini Uingereza, ilibainisha uwepo wa uvuvi haramu na ukiukwaji mkubwa wa haki za binadamu unaofanywa na meli za Wachina zinazofanya shughuli zao katika Bahari ya Hindi ya Kusini Magharibi, zikiwemo maji ya Tanzania.
Ripoti hiyo ya EJF iliyopewa jina la "Tide of Injustice: Exploitation and Illegal Fishing on Chinese Vessels in the Southwest Indian Ocean", iliitaja moja kwa moja meli za uvuvi za mbali za China—ambazo ndizo kubwa zaidi duniani kwa idadi na kiwango cha mavuno—kuwa zinahusika katika uvuvi haramu na manyanyaso ya kibinadamu. Matendo haya yanatishia uendelevu wa rasilimali za uvuvi duniani, kuhatarisha mifumo ya ikolojia baharini, na kudhoofisha mifumo ya utawala ya kitaifa na kimataifa.
Kwa mujibu wa Lengo la Maendeleo Endelevu (SDG) namba 14.4, uvuvi wa kupindukia, shughuli za IUU, na mbinu haribifu za uvuvi zinazofanywa na meli kubwa za kibiashara pamoja na wavuvi wadogo wasiodhibitiwa ni changamoto kubwa duniani kote—na Tanzania haijanusurika.
===================
How China’s illegal fishing vessels bleed Tanzanian fishing resources in its EEZ
The government of Tanzania needs to take stern measures against foreign fishing vessels especially from China that are carrying out their illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in the Tanzanian exclusive economic zones (EEZs).
Tanzania should be the primary beneficiary of the fishing resources in its EEZ. IUU fishing activities by outside entities not only disadvantages Tanzania but also violates Tanzanian territorial and economic sovereignty.
A report released in early 2024 by the UK-based Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) revealed severe IUU fishing and human rights violations by Chinese vessels operating in the Southwest Indian Ocean, including Tanzanian waters.
EJF's report, titled “Tide of Injustice: Exploitation and Illegal Fishing on Chinese Vessels in the Southwest Indian Ocean,” implicated China’s distant-water fleet—the largest globally by vessel count and catch volume—in widespread IUU fishing and abuses. These practices threaten global fishery sustainability, endanger marine ecosystems, and undermine national and international governance.
According to sustainable development goal (SDG) 14.4, overfishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, along with destructive practices by both industrial vessels and unregulated small-scale fishers, remain major challenges globally—and Tanzania is no exception.
Efforts to combat overfishing, IUU fishing, and destructive fishing practices cannot succeed without the active involvement of local civil society and communities.
Prioritizing Tanzanian control and access to its marine resources is essential—not only for safeguarding national sovereignty but also for enhancing food security, promoting sustainable economic growth, and protecting marine ecosystems.
In a recent exclusive interview with this platform, Dr Modesta Medard, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Tanzania, Seascape Programme Lead emphasized the organization’s on-going efforts to promote sustainable use of marine resources and combat IUU fishing.
Dr Medard highlighted several key initiatives spearheaded by WWF Tanzania under the Seascape Programme, including supporting cost-effective monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) training, in collaboration with local fisheries management bodies such as Beach Management Units (BMUs), marine security practitioners, the Fisheries Education and Training Agency (FETA), and district authorities.
She further noted that WWF have been among others assisting in the development of Tanzania’s national plan of action to prevent, deter, and eliminate IUU fishing and conducting quarterly and semi-annual resource monitoring in Marine Protected Areas and community-led Collaborative Fisheries Management Areas (CFMAs).
On February 13, 2025, the National Assembly revealed that Tanzania loses approximately 15.16bn/- annually due to illegal fishing, unregistered vessels, and poor data collection.
The report, tabled and approved by the National Assembly, assessed the registration of vessels and fishers, as well as the monitoring and coordination of fishing activities.
In his budget speech for the 2024/2025 fiscal year, delivered on June 27, 2024, Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Abdallah Hamis Ulega announced that by April 2024, the Deep-Sea Fishing Authority (DSFA) had issued 67 licenses for deep-sea fishing.
Only one of these was to a domestic fleet, while the remaining 66 were to foreign fleets.
Dr. Emmanuel Sweke, Director General of the Tanzania Deep Sea Fishing Authority (DSFA) stated that although Tanzania has not yet ratified the Ports State Measures (PSMA), the process is underway.
PSMA plays a crucial role in fighting IUU fishing by restricting port access to non-compliant vessels and preventing them from entering international markets.
Ends.