Dispatches International
make sure every fishermen works in accordance with the law. “Some- thing that creates nausea in this whole business is our unethical of- ficers,” he explains. “Some of them – the ones responsible for prohib- iting illegal fishing along the coast – have developed the habit of col- lecting bribes from wrongdoers in- stead of punishing them according to the law.” “The situation is bad, for it
slows down the government-deter- mined steps towards reaching that stage in which the fishing sector will be contributing much more to the national income than it does now.”
Like Godfrey Nyamsogorom,
Ally Hussein is a former fisherman. But unlike the graduate student, Hussein is currently a successful businessman, who buys and sells fish at the Dar es Salaam ferry. His comments on the government’s actions to end illegal fishing and invest in small-scale fishermen are cynical. He says that the govern- ment’s perspective of fishermen is unsatisfactory. The government, in Hussein’s eyes, is not doing much about the issue. Hussein offers ring-nets as
an example of the government’s ineptness in handling the issue of illegal fishing. “It is strange, how the government works. Just take a look,” he says, patiently explaining to me that the government recent- ly prohibited the use of ring-nets throughout Tanzanian waters but still supports the local factories with licenses to manufacture ring-
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nets. “Why would it allow some businessmen to manufacture and even import ring-nets, at a time when it is making fishing with ring-nets illegal?” “Do you really think these
businessmen will close their shops, burn their commodities, and go to the front to join hands with government efforts?” he asks rhetorically. “If you have this kind of faith in the fishing sector, then your head needs to be examined.” “The participation of small
fishermen in this war against il- legal fishing is not enough,” says Hussein, referring to the recruit- ment of local fishermen by the government to become knowledge- able of the impact of illegal fish- ing. He says that the government officials do not incorporate legiti- mate small-scale fishermen into the decision-making process, and provide them with few opportuni- ties to participate in the proverbial battles against illegal fishermen. “When it comes time for major de- cisions, for important campaigns, in the oceans that touch the affairs of small fishermen, everything is discussed by top leaders and the fishermen are only given a few days to implement their orders.” Hussein says that the only
practical solution to problems like illegal fishing is for the govern- ment to provide support to the local people – in this case, small- scale fishermen along the coast of the Indian Ocean – with finances and strategically directed public policies. If the small fishermen’s
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