Drive to boost fish production in Lake Tanganyika

DODOMA: EFFORTS to protect fish breeding grounds and curb illegal fishing are being strengthened in Lake Tanganyika, alongside the promotion of cage fish farming to increase fish production and support communities dependent on fishing.

Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Ms Ng’wasi Kamani, said this in the National Assembly in Dodoma on Tuesday when responding to a basic question from Edifonsi Kanoni (Kalambo, CCM), who wanted to know when the government would conduct research to establish the quantity of fish in Lake Tanganyika.

She said the government was also finalising the establishment of the Fisheries Resources Management Authority to further strengthen the management and control of fisheries resources.

Ms Kamani said the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI) conducted research to establish the abundance and distribution of pelagic fish species in Lake Tanganyika in collaboration with Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia.

She said Tanzania conducted similar research in 1998, 2022 and 2024, while joint research involving the four countries was conducted in 2025 and 2026.

Ms Kamani said the findings showed that fish stocks in Lake Tanganyika had declined from 304,500 tonnes in 1998 to about 116,000 tonnes in 2026, representing a 62 per cent decline.

She said the decline was particularly affecting sardines and migebuka, calling for continued measures to protect breeding grounds and control fishing activities that violate the law.

Ms Kamani urged the public to participate in protecting fish resources and breeding grounds and comply with fisheries laws.

She said the government was also encouraging the use of cage fish farming as part of efforts to increase fish production and reduce pressure on natural fish stocks.