Africa-Press – Tanzania. MINISTER for Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr Mashimba Ndaki has said the government is reviewing fisheries laws whose regulations will now be written in Kiswahili language.
He said the written regulations in Kiswahili will help fishermen and other fishery stakeholders to easily read and understand the content.
He cautioned that the government will never hesitate to take into task fishermen in the country bent on working with foreigners to carry out illegal fishing activities on water bodies.
The minister further said that the government will take stern legal actions against smugglers of fishery products outside the country as the malpractice denies the government of the much needed revenue. He made that caution yesterday while addressing fishermen at Ikola fishing village at Karema Ward along the shoreline of Lake Tanganyika in Tanganyika District, Katavi Region.
Mr Ndaki is in Katavi Region for a three- day official working tour. He explained that his ministry is making great efforts to curb illegal fishing activities and uses of prohibited fishing gears across the country.
“Unfortunately, there are still dishonest and greedy fishermen in the country who are helping aliens to smuggle fish and other products outside the country as well as engaging in fishing using prohibited fishing gears,” he said.
“My warning to all fishermen and other stakeholders is that individuals working together with aliens should understand that when they are caught engaging in any illegal fishing activity they will face the full wrath of laws because government machinery is capable of tracking them,” the minister warned.
On his part Lake Tanganyika Zone, Fishery Resources Manager, Mr Juma Makongoro urged all fishermen from Lake Tanganyika to make sure that their fishing boats are officially registered in efforts to curb illegal fishing activities and other criminal activities on the lake.
Vice-Chairman of Karema Ward fishermen, Mr Marius Edward said the big challenge they were using much efforts to address is the use of banned fishing gears.
