| Overview : The Prime Minister’s Office intends to establish and strengthen an overarching and comprehensive coordinating mechanism to oversee national maritime safety and security activities, to urgently enhance response to increasingly unpredictable IUU fishing, maritime pollution, smuggling and illicit trafficking. In doing so, the PMO has reached out to UN agencies and Japan for support; this effort has resulted to this project proposal. In Tanzania, as in many other countries worldwide, the magnitude of issues covered under the overall umbrella of maritime security, is further compounded by overall national coordination mechanisms along with overlapping and sometimes unclear mandates. Capacity challenges for the responsible Agencies have led to dispersed and uneven efforts to effectively govern the Tanzanian maritime space. Increasing negative consequences of maritime insecurity in the Tanzanian sea waters have been reported, including serious effects on the livelihoods of local fishermen and fishing industries. Recent joint Tanzania People Defense Forces (TPDF)/NGO fisheries interdictions have exposed the extent of illegal fishing in Tanzanian waters and its close association with the trafficking of workers in the fishing industry. This activity is in danger of becoming entrenched if not urgently addressed. Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing has implications in terms of food security, livelihood & employment, and economy. Whilst threats from maritime crimes such as IUU fishing, trafficking and smuggling have long existed in Tanzania, there has been, in recent years, an unexpected, rapid increase in illegal activities at sea leading to severe fish stock depletion resulting from undermining of management plans to recover overexploited stocks and subsequently threaten food security (Quaaset al, 2016).The increase in dynamite fishing, a type of IUUfishing,hashadaseverelydetrimentalimpactonthemarineenvironmentandonthelivelihoodsoffishermen who engage in lawful fishing. Highly sophisticated illegal vessels have reportedly come on the scene, beating the capacity of the Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS)mechanism sand that of the Deep-Sea Fishing Authority to monitor such vessels. Furthermore, Tanzania has become more aware of the risks and threats posed by IUU and other illegal activities at sea and of their consequences to the economy ………………etc……… |
