SWIOFish Project

About SWIOFish!

SWIOFish is six-years (June 2015-September 2021) World Bank-financed regional Programme. SWIOFish is implemented in Tanzania, Mozambique, and Comoros. In Tanzania, the SWIOFish focuses on priority fisheries and is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (MLF) Mainland Tanzania, Ministry Agriculture, Natural resources, Livestock and Fisheries (MANRLF), Zanzibar, and the Deep-Sea Fishing Authority (DSFA).

A sum of USD 36 million is allocated for Tanzania, out of which USD 5 million serves as Grant form GEF and a sum of USD 31 million stands as a Loan on concessional terms. The Project funds in Tanzania is shared between the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (MLF) Mainland Tanzania, Ministry Agriculture, Natural resources, Livestock and Fisheries -Zanzibar (MANRLF), and the Deep Sea Fishing Authority (DSFA) totaling USD 17.28, 11.52, and 7.2 million, respectively .

The project is designed to:

• Support regional coordination and cooperation on the management and sustainable development of fisheries in the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO).
• Improve governance of priority fisheries; expands sustainable use of fisheries resources eventually improves economic outcomes.
• Increase economic benefits from priority fisheries and diversifying fishers’ livelihoods to reduce poverty and pressure on the marine resources,
• Improve the regional business climate and enabling the private sector engagement and productivity.

Milestones achieved by the DSFA!

In five years of operation (2015 to date) the following fundamental socioeconomic and environmental outcomes have been realized, these are:

• Tuna catch has increased due to emergence of precise oceanographic information. The oceanographic information in Tanzania have been improved through the use of satellite systems managed by the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI).
• Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD) and Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ) are placed at inshore to serve small scale fish communities to improve their economic livelihoods. Habitat hotspots for tuna and tuna-like species are rightly located in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
• The satellite-based datasets are used to establish a strong correlation between the fishery data with oceanographic information as a result good proxy on fish abundance, spawn, and nursing grounds are available and shared with the tuna fishers.
• There is a significant reduction of illegal, unreported, and regulated fishing (IUU) and increased deterrence within the EEZ of Tanzania. This has been triggered by presence of robust information technology in place (ThemisWeb System with AIS Automatic Identification System-AIS) regional collaboration and coordination.
• There is a broader knowledge base built from research programmes undertaken by the project in stock size, oceanographic, sustainable yield, biology, socioeconomic and genetic connectivity of the Tuna exploited in the EEZ.
• Completion and functioning of Fisheries Information Systems (FIS) have improved reporting, data quality collection, analysis, and utilization. As a result, the United Republic of Tanzania has been in a better position of submitting tuna fisheries data that conforms to the minimum mandatory data requirements of Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).
• There is a growing level of compliance from the flagged fishing vessels in regard to the IOTC Resolution, Maritime, and Deep-Sea Fishing Regulations. This has been caused by a series of capacity building training among key stakeholders