Feature: Illegal fishing threatens southern Tanzania's marine park

Illegal fishing is threatening the survival of the southern Tanzania's Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park.

The 16-year-old park is a multi-purpose marine protected area with globally significant marine biodiversity values and it covers a total land and sea area of 650 square kilometers with 20,000 inhabitants.

Benson Chiwinga is a park legal officer who described illegal fishing as a serious challenge threatening the survivor of the park, which is a home to important populations of whales, dolphins, four species of turtle and numerous birds.

"It's hectic to catch the illegal fishermen, as the area is big. At some point, we're trying to local communities, but the challenge is still there," the official said, attributing the problem with politics as there are politicians who are thwarting the battle against illegal fishing.

According to him, there are politicians who use illegal fishing gears as their political gains.

"Worse enough once they are elected at the local government levels they encourage fishermen to use any fishing gears they want. This is a challenge to us as conservators," he said.

The official further said that there are people in the area who prefer to easy fish catch by using fishing gears which are harmful to the environment and entire ecosystem of the park, located nearly 600 km from Tanzania's commercial capital of Dar es Salaam.

"We are discouraging people from using dynamite, and other illegal fishing gears such as beach seines, monofilament nets, gillnet with lattice sizes below the recommended size," he said, adding: "We have been carrying out regular patrols in the area, but the challenge still remains there."

The official heaped blames on the judiciary for offering small penalties to the perpetrators of the illegal fishermen.

"This is another challenge as when they are fined too little money they pay and continue with the business as usual," he said.

He said the deadly challenge of dynamite fishing is the destruction of coral reefs and fish breeding sites.

"Our park is under threat as fishermen tend to get into the marine protected areas. This is different to the neighboring Kenya and Uganda where a fisherman found guilty using unfriendly fishing gears is banned from fishing for more than five years and heavy fine. But here is different as the fishermen in that situation are fined an average of 9.14 U.S. dollars," said Chiwinga.

He also cited delays of cases in court as a challenge facing conservation in the area, which borders Tanzania and Mozambique.

The conservator suggested the need for Tanzania to increase the fines to at least 228 dollars and five-year imprisonment.

Villages leading for dynamite fishing activities in the southern Tanzania's marine park include Kilambo Litembe, Mkubilu, Nalingu, Mnete, Msangamkuu, Tangazo, and Mgoji.

Janepha Simbua is the community development officer with the park, who cited limited understanding on the importance of conservation is one of the reason that fuel illegal fishing in the area.

"We are trying to educate fishermen and schoolchildren on this matter. At one time we picked some of the fishermen to Zanzibar to see how our colleagues there honor marine resources...but I am sure it's a matter of time," Simbua said, adding: "There are some people who are aware of the importance of conserving marine resources."

There are 12 villages in the area and it is hoped that visitors to the marine park will help the local economy of this area, one of the poorest and least developed in Tanzania.

MBREMP is recognized as being internationally important for its biodiversity, with mangroves, sea grass beds and coral reefs. Endit