THE government has reopened fishing activities in Lake Tanganyika following a three-month ban.

Abdallah Ulega, the Livestock and Fisheries minister, officiated at the launch on Thursday at the Katonga landing site in Kigoma Ujiji municipality, explaining that the fishing ban from May 15 to August 15, was intended to protect and rejuvenate the lake’s fish resources. 

The temporary suspension provided room for fish to breed and grow, which will make catches more substantial and for a while, benefit a wide range of people living on fishing or depending on such incomes.

The ban decision was taken in accord with a regional agreement among member states of the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA), to ensure the sustainable management of fishing in the lake and its basin, he said. 

In the wake of restarting fishing activities, fishermen need to adhere to regulatory fishing gear and usable methods to preserve fish stocks and allow the various species to mature before being harvested.

Stressing the importance of compliance with regulations, he said that it would be counterproductive to reinstate fishing and then illegal and harmful methods sabotage the benefits gained from the suspension.

Enforcing the ban on firearms was not the goal; and instead enforcing it was a collaborative effort involving fisher groups, local authorities and other agencies.

The minister lauded concerns by President Samia Suluhu Hassan for the fisheries sector, pointing at a substantial increase in the ministry’s budget this financial year, to facilitate significant improvements in the regulatory and environmental uplift aspects.

Dr Edwin Mhede, the deputy permanent secretary, said in his remarks that fishing is a crucial sector in the local economy, providing lifetime occupations for 6,000 people in the region or upwards of 10 percent of the lakeside population. 

There was a seven percent increase in fishing vessels over the past decade with 104 landing sites scattered along the lake shore on this side of international borders, he said.

Songoro Athumani, a Kalilani village fisherman in Uvinza District, praised the three-month suspension affirming that it has resulted in increased fish yields. 

Larger fish and sardines are more plentiful by sight, even before fishing activities actually resumed, he added.