DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Illegal fishing which was widespread in Tanzania is now almost under control, a government senior official said on Monday.
"Illegal fishing is now almost over in Tanzania after authorities succeeded in fighting against the deadly dynamite fishing in the country's waters of the Indian Ocean and great lakes," said Abdallah Ulega, the Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries.
Speaking at a fish market at Kunduchi on the shores of the Indian Ocean in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, Ulega said after the government had embarked on stern operations against illegal fishing, it was now evident that the malpractice had been largely controlled.
"There have been no reported incidences of illegal fishing using dynamite explosives this year," the official said.
He said good cooperation between authorities and fishermen was among reasons behind achievements recorded in the fight against illegal fishing.
In October 2015, a marine scientist warned that Tanzania faced a resurgence of blast-fishing driven by the availability of illegally-traded industrial explosives and detonation materials.
Jason Rubens, the director of Sound Ocean Ltd, a marine environment organization, said blast-fishing occurred in all 16 Tanzania mainland coastal districts and municipalities with Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Mtwara and Lindi coastal areas cited as hotspots due to lack of regulation.
Rubens said enforcement to fight blast fishing has been weak since 2002 and was caused by various reasons, including lack of operational funding, corruption and lack of investigative approach.
