RE: DLIST ASCLME: Dynamite fishing near Tumbatu Island in Zanzibar
Dear DListers,
As you know, the problem of dynamiting in Tanzania and Zanzibar has been around for a number of decades now, albeit waxing and waning in intensity and often shifting locations in reaction to local/regional campaigns (e.g. Mtwara/Tanga) were launched to defeat the menace. More recently, in 2004, an important civil society-led action developed in response to the resurgence of dynamiting in Tanga (where it had previously thought to have been eradicated under the Tanga CZCDP), resulting in the creation of the Tanga Dynamite Fishing Monitoring Network (which again I am sure you are all familiar with). There is now a large database of blast observations contributed by members spanning at least 6-years and also including other areas of Tanzania/Znz.
Over a number of years the Network hosted in-depth discussions on the Network's forum about the problems/potential solutions/government participation in the solutions etc etc. and catalysed a number of inputs from within Tanzania, as well as from people from overseas with similar experiences or ideas/suggestions. There were a number of relatively high-level meetings (involving RAS/DED/DC/Directors etc.; Irish Embassy; MACEMP; WWF-TCO etc.), including field-missions to Tanga.
Research/Descriptive papers were published (e.g. by Sue Wells and by Patricia Silva (a highly quantitative assessment trying to nail-down some causal factors); newspaper articles were published in Tz and an almost global-level of lobbying was developed by the Network (albeit before Facebook and Twitter!) including the ICRI.
There is apparently no straightforward answer unless there is the political will to deploy significant and unyielding force (as per the Mtwara example).
Overal, however, there already exists a wealth of experience with the problem. While new pressures/ideas and initiatives are always potentially valuable, the history might suggest that it would also be prudent to contact some the key players involved in the (albeit apparently temporary) Mtwara and Tanga (e.g. Hassan Kalombo) success stories, as well as members of the Tanga Network, perhaps starting with Sibylle Reidmiller (the founder), Eric Allard, Jason Rubens, Denys Roberts (from Peponi)... if DLIST was interested in further work on the issue.
Jim
Dynamite fishing near Tumbatu Island in Zanzibar
Dear DListers,
I personally contacted the Director of Fisheries Zanzibar, Mr Jumbe, yesterday and he confirmed that the incident of dynamiting fishing near Tumbatu is reported to him. He physically went to the adjacent villages and had a meeting with all chairmen of the fishermen committees in North A district.
They all had a common resolution of fighting to the maximum of their capacity against dynamiting fishing. They set strong strategies including carrying out serious thorough patrols around the area, restricting fishers from outside the area and establishing fishing camps instead of allowing them freely to enter and fish in the area. The meeting was also attended by DC of the district, police officers and memmbers of KMKM (Zanzibar coast guard). Furthermore the Director promissed to carry out survey to see the size of destruction made by the activity and invited the private sectors (like Scuba Do) to participate in the exercise. I'm sure the situation will be restored soon, let's cooperate in any means to esure the feasibility of this strategies.
Sihaba
Dynamite fishing near Tumbatu Island in Zanzibar
The report on dynamite fishing near Tumbatu Island in Zanzibar got much attention on the DLIST discussion forum.
Personally I felt very sad at this report, because I know that exact spot very well. It is located in a Marine Conservation Area where we recently worked with the Department of Fisheries to demarcate a new Marine Conservation Area (MCA). I also know that the Government of Zanzibar takes such incidents extremely seriously, and act quickly and with great effort. They should be praised for their efforts. But the area is large, and people committing such crimes can move fast and can easily escape over the Pemba Channel or wherever they came from.
Jim Anderson points out that there is a great body of knowledge on this subject. Papers, reports, databases, and so on. The DLIST team will certainly study this database, and follow Jim's leads. But my question to Jim, who is clearly an informed person who knows many of the players, is a straight-forward and simple one: are we winning on this front or are we losing? Are things getting better or are they not? Are there lessons learned in those papers and databases that we can actually use to stop the practise of dynamite fishing? Or are we barking up the wrong tree altogether?
Dynamite fishing near Tumbatu Island in Zanzibar
Francois and Jim,
Dynamite fishing can very easily be eliminated in Tanzanian reefs. In the recent past the control that involved various organs worked out very effectively and the fishermen were very happy with it. But, now if you go and talk with them on what is going on in the coral reefs they would just ask you to wait and say;...sikiliza ndonga inalia sasa hivi hiyo... soon thereafter a blast goes off!. To me, I think, the only thing that is lacking here is political will. It is high time now Rose et al work out ways to involve top decision makers on this.
Dynamite fishing near Tumbatu Island in Zanzibar
Dear Nsajigwa and DListers,
It is for so long we have been talking on involvement of politicians of the fighting against dynamite and other destructive fishing practices, the success to my knowledge is not so good. It is important to involve them but its time now to highly focus on involving local communities (fishers) themselves because they are the ones who get troubles in their efforts of sustaining their livelihood through fisheries resources harvesting, and NOT the politicians.
Sihaba
Dynamite fishing near Tumbatu Island in Zanzibar
Dear Sihaba
This discussion thread is becoming very interesting and very useful. In an earlier comments I asked the question whether all these studies, reports, papers, databases, etc. on dynamite fishing has really stopped this terrible practice. I think the answer is no. Of course studies and databases are very important to track a process, and perhaps to eventually generate lessons learned, but they do not necessarily provide a solution. And they don't stop dynamite fishing.
Then came the interesting comment that the answer lies with political will. This may very well be true, but if we do not have this political will, then we don't have it. And even if we do have this political will, then all the other practicalities still remain, such as the vastness of the areas that must be covered, and the under resourced marine surveillance systems. I am also concerned that we dump a lot of problems that we cannot solve on this concept of political will, after all it is an easy way out to blame the politicians for dynamite fishing. Of course political will is important, but then we need to be far more specific about what this political will is supposed to be, and how it can be operationalised.
We need now to zero in on real solutions, and we need to look far and wide. But perhaps not too far, and not too wide. And I think you put your finger on it, Sihaba. The local communities! After all, they are the ones who are THERE, they are the ones who suffer most when the resource base is destroyed, and they are the ones who have their eyes and ears on the ground. So, if the local community is organised, especially the fishers, and they have a good link to government, then we can see rapid action.
The good news is that this is apparently now happening in Zanzibar. The fishing communities in Tumbatu were collectively involved in a process that one can best describe as a process of the people planning with government. The aim was to create a new large Marine Conservation Area, not by the intervention of some outside structure or organisation, but because the people wanted it and government and the people worked together to make this happen. Structures were put in place, and even if they may not work perfectly, this test run shows us that there is a world of promise here that things may end up working well. The DLIST team has had various letters that shows immediate actions has been taken by both the communities and government, and it may very well be very hard for such an incident to be repeated, in this Marine Conservation Area at least. Only the future will tell us. But I am hopeful.