New funding brings fish stock assessment of Lake Tanganyika closer

Workshop on assessment methods for first lake-wide fish stock assessment in decades

2 May 2024, Dar es Salaam – The first assessment of Lake Tanganyika’s lake-wide aquatic resources in decades has come closer with new funding announced at a workshop where experts discussed the best way to carry out a long due assessment that is vital for sustainable management of the lake’s fisheries.

The funding was secured at the end of the four-day meeting, when FISH4ACP, PROFISHBLUE, the government of Tanzania and Zambia’s Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (MLF) committed approximately USD 500 000 for two types of assessment.

A hydro-acoustic survey will be conducted in the wet and dry seasons starting by the end of the summer 2024, while an innovative length-based assessment will be tested to assess its capacity to sample and analyze catch information on an annual basis in a cost-efficient way.

Now, the first assessment since 1996, when FAO conducted one with support from Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI) is within reach. Possible additional funding from The Nature Conservancy could increase financial resources that will be channeled through the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) and the relevant research institutes from the countries bordering the lake.

“We stand ready to work with the riparian countries and put our combined understanding of Lake Tanganyika’s fish stocks together to ensure that they are healthy and sustainably managed,” said Beatrice Marwa, LTA’s Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Lake Tanganyika is the deepest lake in Africa and holds the greatest volume of fresh water on the continent. The lake is shared among four countries—Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, and Zambia – and provides millions of people with a source of food and income.

“Lake Tanganyika is vital for the food security and livelihoods of communities in the region, while its wealth of endemic species make it global biodiversity hotspot,” said Riziki Shemdoe, Permanent Secretary of Tanzania’s Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries. “Its delicate ecological balance, however, is threatened by climate change and other factors.”

The workshop brought together technical experts from Lake Tanganyika’s riparian countries with the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA), international partners, including FAO and the Nature Conservancy (TNC), and national stakeholders such as TAFIRI and the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.

“We are fully committed to promote the sustainable management of Lake Tanganyika’s aquatic resources,” said Ismael Kimirei, TAFIRI’s Director-General, adding: “By pulling together knowledge, funding and manpower, we can contribute significantly to the economic development of the fishing communities that depend on the lake’s resources.”

”To ensure the long-term health of the lake and the well-being of the communities who depend on it, a stock assessment needs to weigh the current state of fish stocks and support sustainable management of the lake’s fisheries," said Nyabenyi Tipo, FAO Representative in Tanzania. She added: “FAO is happy that FISH4ACP and PROFISHBLUE contribute to the conservation of the lake and its biodiversity.”

The global fish value chain development program FISH4ACP, initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) with funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is supporting Tanzania to strengthen the Lake Tanganyika’s sardine, sprat and perch value chain, and is helping Zambia to upgrade its small pelagics sector.

PROFISHBLUE is promoting fisheries management in 16 Southern African countries with support from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).