5. PRESENT SITUATION

Currently, both E.striatum and E.spinosum are being exported from Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania. Most exports of E. spinosum come from recently developed seaweed farms. All exports of E.striatum are harvested from wild stocks, washed ashore mainly on the islands of Pemba, Zanzibar and Mafia and to a much lesser extent in the Tanga and Lindi/Mtwara region.

Seaweed culture on a commercial scale was started in Zanzibar in 1989 by two private seaweed farming companies on the east coast of Zanzibar. Their operations and approach are discussed in more detail in Section 6.1. Both companies cultivate E. spinosum after trying unsuccessfully to cultivate E. striatum. Both have also started to export small quantities of seaweed.

Near Tanga, in northern Tanzania, seaweed farming experiments have been initiated at the Kibo Saltworks, where E. striatum is being cultivated on a very small pilot scale in the creek supplying the salt pans. Their operations are described in more detail in Section 6.3.

There are two private companies that dominate the export market of wild stock from mainland Tanzania, International Shellcraft Ltd. and Prime Enterprises. Quantities exported are relatively small and irregular. In addition, there are a number of smaller companies involved in the export of fish, shells and beche de mer who have, at one time or other, over the last few years attempted to enter the seaweed export market. They have not succeeded because they have been unable to guarantee a regular and large supply (5 – 10 tonnes per month), required by the importer. The problems encountered by exporters and prospective exporters are discussed later in Section 8. Exports of dried seaweed from mainland Tanzania during 1987 – 89 are given in Table 1.

Table 1 Exports of Seaweed From Mainland Tanzania 1987 – 1989

Source: Fisheries Department, Dar-es-Salaam