Fishers in Zanzibar initially relied on delayed reports from handwritten logs for data on fisheries, but a wind of change is now blowing.
By Blue Africa News
As technological advancements continue to sweep across various sectors globally, small scale fishers in Zanzibar, are not being left behind. Slowly but surely, they are entering and embracing the digital era.
Initially, fisherfolk in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous Tanzanian archipelago in the Indian Ocean relied on delayed reports from handwritten logs for data on fisheries. Now, they benefit from near real-time information processed and displayed on decision dashboards, reshaping how marine resources are monitored, managed and by extension, conserved.
The transformation is being spearheaded by the Asia-Africa BlueTech Superhighway (AABS) project. Led by WorldFish and funded by the United Kingdom (UK) government, the digital innovation initiative is strengthening community empowerment, improving decision-making, and supporting sustainable fishing across the islands of Zanzibar.
Until recently, according to WorldFish, fisheries data in Zanzibar were collected manually on paper at landing sites, then sent to government offices for transcription and analysis, “a process that often took months.”
“The delays, combined with frequent data loss, left fisheries managers without timely insights and fishers without feedback to guide sustainable practices. Furthermore, the data entered the government database, but information rarely returned to fishers and communities,” stated the organisation in an online publication.
Exit all those hurdles, enter AABS, which is being hailed for advancing change by introducing a digital, real-time monitoring system.
With tablets and phones at landing sites Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers on boats, data is instantly uploaded, paving way for it to be automatically processed, analysed and displayed on a dashboard.
“The process provides live insights into fish catches, species, and fishing zones, enabling smarter and faster management decisions. This dashboard and the Tracks app also allow fishers and traders at community level to see and use the data, creating new business insights and a more inclusive management of the fisheries sector,” adds WorldFish.
“At the heart of this system is Peskas, an open-source software developed by WorldFish in 2017. By integrating Peskas modules into Zanzibar’s existing SamakIS government system, fisheries data is now automatically validated, analyzed, and visualized. The result is a SamakIS dashboard that delivers timely, transparent, and accessible information to fishers, traders, and managers alike.”
The data only lands in “safe hands,” helping to map fishing zones and activities over a fixed period of time.
“The tracking devices are not meant to check what fishers are doing or catching. They help us identify fishing areas and understand the health of our ocean. The data is accessed only by authorized personnel within the Ministry,” said Dr. Zakaria Khamis, Director, Zanzibar Fisheries and Marine Resources Research Institute.
With the fisheries sector contributing 5.1 percent of Zanzibar’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and playing a significant role in providing animal protein to the majority of people in Zanzibar, technology is coming in handy to boost production.
That is why the Island nation in 2022 developed the Fisheries Policy 2022 alongside the Zanzibar Blue Economy Policy 2022 in accordance with the Zanzibar Development Vision 2050, with a view of transforming the fisheries sector from a subsistence-based to a competitive, commercially-oriented production system.
The Fisheries Policy 2022 says the sector employs over 78,000 people, accounting for 8.5% of Zanzibar’s total workforce. In 2021, the policy adds, the fisheries sector reported a total fish catch of 47,114 tonnes, valued at Tsh237.1 billion (approximately US$93.3) which represented a growth rate of 3.5%.
And with an 880 km of coastline and 4,000 km² of fishing grounds for artisanal fisheries, the nation’s fishing industry is operating below its full potential due to the use of small vessels, which limits fishery development and employment opportunities.
Through AABS and other projects, the government and partners are working towards minimizing the potential of the nation’s fisheries sector.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News