Profiles: Fisheries and aquaculture

Mozambique has a coastline of 2750 Km on the Indian Ocean and access to a vast fishing area with considerable resources. Fisheries are therefore an important sector of the national economy and contribute significantly to the diet of the population. Marine fisheries represent more than 80% of the country's total production of fish and fish products and are the main foreign exchange earner for the country. It is estimated that about 50% of the protein intake of the population derives from fish and fish products. About 90 000 people are involved directly in fishing and the harvesting of other marine food sources, and a far greater number benefit from fisheries through their involvement in fish processing and marketing.