Department of Commercial Crops Fruits & Forestry

Food & Agriculture Organisation of the Unated Nations (FAO)

General

Locally caught fish is presently the principal source of animal protein in the diet of the population of Zanzibar. For those in the lower income categories, it is almost the only animal protein consumed1. Estimates for the per capita consumption during the past decade have ranged between about 25 and 40 kg/person annually.

Source: Statistics Division, Permanent Planning Commission, Zanzibar.

On the basis of largely inadequate data it has been reported that the number of persons directly employed within the fishing sector plus their dependents, represented some 14 percent of the population (589,000 persons in 1986). This estimate includes some 15,000 to 16,000 fishermen (excl. casual fishermen) and at least another 2,000 to 2,500 distributors and sellers of fish (FAO, 1988).

Very preliminary estimates have indicated that the potential yield of fish to the existing communities is about 25,000 tonnes, plus possibly another about 5,000 tonnes of pelagics not presently fully utilised (FAO, 1988). These compare with reported landings of between 15,000 and 22,000 tonnes annually for the two islands since 1982. These latter statistics are generally acknowledged as only roughly indicative of the actual landings.

The shortage of foreign currency within the Zanzibar economy is acute. Very nearly all of the export earnings have derived from the sale of cloves. The contribution from the fishing sector is negligible, although opportunities do exist to export modest quantities of fishery products.

The previously available sources of data concerning the numbers of fishermen, numbers and types of fishing boats and gears, and the identities and locations of landing sites were from the fishery census work undertaken in each of 1980 and 1985 (Ngoile, 1982 and Carrara, 1986). This report contains the results from a third census completed in 1989 and undertaken largely as an update of the earlier work.

It was undertaken as a joint exercise involving each of the Institute of Marine Sciences of the University of Dar es Salaam, the Department of Fisheries, the Statistics Division of the Permanent Planning Commission, and the FAO Regional Project for the Development and Management of Fisheries in the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIOP).

Study Location

The study locations were the two main islands of Unguja and Pemba, along with the lesser islands of Panza, Makongwe, Fundo, Kojani, Tumbutu and Uzi. These collectively form Zanzibar, which is adjacent to the Tanzania mainland, and part of the Republic of Tanzania.

The main islands generally have a North-South orientation and a narrow continental shelf except off the West coast of Unguja. Along the West coasts there are many bays and inlets and some stands of mangroves. In contrast the East coast is much less indented, is often associated with reef enclosed lagoons, and is substantially more exposed to rough sea conditions. In large part as the consequence of these characteristics there are more villages and landing sites along the West coasts.

The seasonal weather pattern includes a Southeast trade-wind which blows from about March to June, and a Northwest monsoon from October to February. Fishing is largely precluded outside sheltered waters along the East coast during the trade-wind period; due to the relatively high velocity of this wind and its orientation. Along the West coast, fishing activities are far less weather dependent.

Background

In recent years there has been a trend for the annual landings of fish to decline. While this may in part be the result of some previous over-exploitation of the fish stocks in the nearshore waters, the more generally accepted view is that it is a reflection of a decline in the fishing effort, as indicated by a substantial reduction in the number of the more productive fishing gears (FAO 1988).

According to a comparison of the census results the numbers of all types of nets in use (except gillnets in Pemba) was much less in 1985 than in 1980. This is in turn believed to be the consequence of the acute shortage of foreign currency needed to import nets or netting materials. Of relevance in this context is the observation that the numbers of handlines and traps (both of which are much less dependent on foreign currency inputs) increased between the two census studies.

In recognition of these circumstances the Government engaged in the importation of gears and their sale to the fishermen through the establishment of gear shops. Due to the shortage of foreign currency the quantities so far imported through this scheme have been small (FAO, 1988). Gears (and engines) have also been imported by private individuals.

The imports from all sources are considered as having been insufficient to offset the shortfall. Having this uncertainty in mind it was considered necessary to undertake a new census of fishermen, boats and gears.

Study objectives

The specific objectives of the 1989 fishery census are summarised below: