Tanzania reported a decline in the value of its fish and fish product exports for the three months ending 31 March 2024, as the country grappled with falling output from key freshwater fisheries, inadequate access to quality feed and fingerlings, and persistent instances of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Data from the Bank of Tanzania highlighted that Q1 2024 fish sales to international markets totaled USD 46.8 million (EUR 45.6 million), down from the USD 47.1 million (EUR 43.8 million) the country earned during the same period in 2023.
January marked the highest monthly export sales total for the quarter at USD 17.5 million (EUR 16.3 million), but that quickly declined to USD 13.3 million (EUR 12.4 million) in February. March saw an increase but not a return to the highwater mark, totaling USD 16 million (EUR 14.9 million).
Tanzania Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Abdallah Ulega said the decline in the country’s fish exports could partly be attributed to falling fish production, especially in Lake Tanganyika.
Ulega pointed to research from the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI), a public research institution under the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries’ purview, which recently found that biomass in Lake Tanganyika has declined year over year, with areas such as around Kigoma posting the lowest volumes in fish output.
Citing this research, the minister further explained to Tanzanian parliament in May 2024 that the use of unlicensed fishing nets and uncontrolled illegal fishing has continued to reduce the country’s fish potential.
Though quarterly export totals sank, the country’s 2023-2024 fiscal year export sales totals increased year over year
In the 2023-2024 fiscal year to 30 April 2024, Tanzania’s total fish output amounted to 174,840 metric tons (MT), valued at TZS 516 billion (USD 196 million, EUR 183 million). The value marks a 40 percent jump compared to the TZS 454 billion (USD 173 million, EUR 161 million) the sector earned during the same period the previous fiscal year.
