Mozambique has a coastline
of 2,750 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.
Marine aquaculture
Aquaculture is not traditional
in Mozambique and hardly exists as a productive, commercially
sustainable activity or as a significant contributor to subsistence.
However, there is great potential for its development.
Efforts in the development of
marine aquaculture have previously focused on mussel farming,
but government and commercial attention is now turning to the
potential for coastal shrimp aquaculture. Development of this
practice in Madagascar , which now produces 7,000 metric tons
of shrimp per year, provided the inspiration for its introduction
in Mozambique . According to surveys carried out by the Fisheries
Research Institute, the total potential for coastal aquaculture
was estimated at 33,000 ha, of which over 75% are located above
the latitude 20.00'S. This potential area is free from conflicting
uses and does not include protected resources such as mangroves.
Early work on prawn culture began
in the mid-1980's with an FAO/UNDP pilot project for site surveying
and training in project execution. For security reasons (i.e.
the ongoing civil war), the project was carried out close to Maputo
City and comprised a 10 ha farm. It was established with the objective
of obtaining technical indicators on prawns farmed by various
methods and under different conditions, and of evaluating the
financial viability of a prawn farming industry.
The first industrial prawn farming
development was established in the mid-1990 in the province of
Zambezia, one of the most suitable regions for prawn cultivation
with an overall initial potential of slightly over 6,000 ha. This
is a joint venture with French capital and the project includes
a 450 ha farm, hatchery, and processing unit. A second project,
with Chinese capital, was approved in 2001 and covers an area
of approximately 400 ha.
As mentioned before, there is
considerable scope for the development of aquaculture and for
investment in this sector in Mozambique . Opportunities range
from commercial prawn production and marketing, to the supply
of hardware, consumables, and production inputs such as feeds
and other products.
Potential support interventions
Potential areas that may be considered
for future assistance are the following:
• Support to the Ministry
of Fisheries in the planning and co-ordination of projects included
in the Fisheries Master Plan;
• Revision of fisheries legislation;
• Support to IDPPE on functional
analysis and institutional reform;
• Support to IDPPE to develop
and implement projects for the development of the small-scale
fisheries in the Provinces of Inhambane and Gaza;
• Support to IDPPE to develop
and implement a project for the development of the small-scale
fisheries in Lake Niassa;
• Support to IDPPE to develop
and implement a project for the development of the small-scale
fisheries in Cahora Bassa Reservoir; and
• Technical support to the
Fisheries School.
Freshwater aquaculture
Freshwater aquaculture was introduced
in the sixties in Mozambique and was adopted by many farmers.
Most of them have subsequently developed a range of skills and
experience in this activity and benefited from the positive impact
on their families from the extra food source and additional income.
Although there has recently been a steady increase in the number
of farmers interested in taking up fish farming, efficiency levels
in the supporting services have been in a state of decline. The
country has an ideal environment and wealth of natural resources
for the development of this activity but institutional changes
have brought the sector to a virtual standstill. The lack of experience
and a tradition of freshwater aquaculture combined with the effects
of the lengthy civil war, have together hampered the development
of this sector. With stability and economic growth, aquaculture
could again become the focus of attention for stakeholders interested
in the future prospects for this activity.
Freshwater aquaculture benefits
from the diversity of the natural environment in Mozambique and
the availability of suitable native species for farming. Its future
development is seen as part of a broader, integrated system aimed
at improving the diet of the population. Although the average
per capita consumption of fish is 15 kg, this is not evenly distributed
throughout the regions; while fish consumption in coastal areas
is high, it is quite moderate inland.
In Mozambique, freshwater resources
include several large rivers crossing the country towards the
Indian Ocean and a vast number of expanses of inland water, the
largest of which are Lake Niassa and the man-made lake of Cahora
Bassa .
The potential for inland freshwater
aquaculture has not been evaluated yet. However, some surveys
over the last 10 years have identified over 2,000 ha suitable
for immediate development. This potential includes areas ideal
for pond operations and lakes mainly suitable for cage fish farming.
Native species for freshwater
farming are limited to species of Tilapia and + Sarotherodon
, the African catfish Clarias mossambicus and the
freshwater shrimp Macrobrachium rosenberggi . Exotic
fish species for farming were introduced in recent years and these
include common carp Cyprinius carpio, grass carp Ctenopharygodon
idella , S. niloticus and the black bass Ictalurus
punctatus.
Potential support interventions
The present situation of freshwater
aquaculture in Mozambique offers a unique opportunity to provide
assistance in the following major areas:
• Preparation of a nationwide
inventory of natural resources with the intention to develop a
sustainable system of freshwater aquaculture integrated with the
national food security programme (PAN) and also with a programme
for the promotion of export-oriented and/or tourist activities;
• Formulation of a national
strategy for the development of freshwater aquaculture with the
production of a master plan and a medium-term action programme;
• Review of the institutional
framework for the promotion, extension and supply of fingerlings;
and
• Development of a training
programme including training manuals and the identification of
demonstration centres for pond construction, fish farming, post-harvest
conservation and marketing.
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