Page 12 - Mozambique Report

Fisheries

The challenge
Mozambique has great fishing potential along its coastline and within its EEZ including a variety
of pelagic fish species like tuna, mackerel, marlin and sailfish, starfish and billfish. These have
the potential to financially support coastal communities. However, the sector is under-performing
and overfishing and destructive fishing techniques are leading to declining fish catches and
Country Profile
a degraded ecosystem. The rapid and uncontrolled expansion of artisanal fisheries is also
threatening the sustainability of the fish resource. The challenge is to promote sustainable rural
development and reduce poverty, through the sustainable management of Mozambique’s marine
resources.
The Republic of Mozambique
The situation
The f?sh economy

The fisheries potential of Mozambique is estimated to be between 220,000 and 330,000 tonnes and
the sector is said to have the potential to contribute about 3 per cent of GDP. (Fisheries Master Plan
2010-2019).

Capture fisheries in 2016 was 299,591 tons while total fisheries production in the same year was
300,771 tons (World Bank, 2019). (MOF, 2013). In 2012, national fish production was 208 000
tons, of which 89 per cent originated from artisanal fishing, 10 per cent from semi-industrial fishing
and industrial and 0.3 per cent from aquaculture. In terms of value, artisanal catches accounted for
89% of the total, industrial and semi industrial fisheries 11% and aquaculture only 0.4%. Fisheries is
the main source of income for 87% of unit owners mainly found in Nampula and Sofala provinces
(Jone et al., 2013). It contributes poverty relief and food security.

Food security
The fish sector accounts for 50 per cent of protein consumed nationally and in some instances is
the only accessible source of protein (Souto, 2014) (Brugere and Maal, 2014). The fishery sector
therefore plays a major role in addressing the issue of food security and livelihoods (Benkenstein,
2013a).

Structure of the f?sheries sector

Fisheries in Mozambique comes from artisanal, semi industrial and industrial fisheries. Semi-industrial
fishing mainly comprises of small trawlers which are involved in domestic coastal shrimp fisheries
and it accounts for 2 per cent of annual marine catches and 6 per cent of total value (Souto, 2014).
Industrial fishing includes large vessels flagged in Mozambique, this type of fishing mostly targets
crustaceans – coastal shrimps and deep-sea shrimps which are mainly harvested for the European
market. It accounts for 7 per cent of annual marine capture and 52 per cent of total value (Oceanic
Développement, 2014).

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