Transforming small-scale fisheries in Zanzibar

ZANZIBAR: The launch of the Asia Asia-Africa BlueTech Superhighway (AABS) project last month aims to help transform small-scale fisheries in Zanzibar using digital and data innovations.

Led by WorldFish, the AABS project brings together partners from the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries Zanzibar (MoBEF), Zanzibar Fisheries and Marine Resources Research Institute (ZAFIRI) and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA).

The launch workshop gathered key stakeholders from various sectors in the blue economy, including government agencies, fisher organisations and non-governmental organisations.

The project will focus on enhancing small-scale fisheries data and monitoring systems as well as evaluating community incentives for coastal fisheries management and conservation using the Peskas System.

The Peskas System is a high-resolution, near-real-time monitoring system designed for small-scale fisheries that was piloted Timor-Leste and has been proven to be successful. It will play a critical role in demonstrating the ways in which new fisheries technologies can be successfully implemented in small island developing states with limited resources.

At a follow-up meeting after the launch of the project, however, fisher representatives expressed their apprehension, citing past projects that did not yield direct benefits. They emphasised the need for immediate support to motivate participation.

Dr Zakaria Khamis, Director of ZAFIRI remarked on the fishers’ concerns and said that the project will take a different approach, including the formation of a planning and coordination committee that comprises representatives from all the stakeholders who will guide the implementation of the project. He urged the fishers’ representative to fully participate in the committee and highlight the fishers’ interests, which would enhance their involvement.

The meeting also provided a clear roadmap and established a planning committee that identified several priority areas including the need to integrate data from partner organisations and to identify data collectors as well as focusing on co-designing a monitoring system that will serve the stakeholders in the project.