Selecting my case study

The fishing sector in Ukerewe District at Lake Victoria is the backbone of the local economy and yet is an economic activity in which most local citizens are highly constrained from participating in gainfully. It presented itself as a good case study in matters of designing and implementing pro-poor development interventions as called for and envisaged in MKUKUTA II.

Ukerewe District is located at latitude 1° 43' 16" S and longitude 33° 06' 52" E. The district covers an area of 6 400 sq. km, out of which 640 sq. km (i.e. 10%) is land mass and the rest, comprising 5 760 sq. km (i.e. 90%) is covered by water. It is constituted of 38 small islands in Lake Victoria, of which 15 islands are inhabited permanently and 23 islands are inhabited temporarily by people engaging mainly in fisheries activities. Administratively, the district is composed of 4 divisions, 24 wards and 74 villages. It has a District Commissioner and other representatives of the central government, as well as of the local government authorities, of whom the Ukerewe District Council is the supreme entity, mandated with the provision of social services and the facilitation and management of local development in the area. Figure 3.1 below is a map showing the location and administrative boundaries of Ukerewe District. The map also highlights the field sites for this study.

According to the URT (2013b), the district had a population of 260 831 people in 2002. That population increased to 345 147 in 2012 (viz. 169 279 men and 175 868 women), which represents a growth rate of 2.82% per annum. It has 59 508 households, with an average household size of 5.7 (URT, 2013b). With only 640 sq. km as its land mass, Ukerewe District is highly populated, with a density of 549.5 inhabitants per sq. km (URT, 2013b). The major economic activities in Ukerewe District are farming, livestock keeping and fishing. People engage in small-scale peasantry to cultivate

53

food crops such as cassava, sweet potatoes and rice, while those engaging in livestock keep mainly cattle and goats. However, in response to the infertility and shortage of farming land, poor agricultural harvests and the commercialisation of the fishing sector, the majority of the population currently engages in fishing and fish-related businesses.

Figure 3.1: Location and administrative boundaries of Ukerewe District and study areas

Productive fisheries activities are conducted mainly in the waters of Lake Victoria and from the beaches of the 38 islands. Whereas there are many fishery species (particularly the Haplochromine cichlids and Tilapiine cichlids) in the district waters, the commercially important fisheries are the Nile perch (Lates niloticus), Dagaa (Rastrineobola argentea) and Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The Nile perch, which is the largest and commercially most important fish, was introduced into Lake Victoria in the 1950s and 1960s. It usually inhabits deep fresh waters. Since its boom and commercialisation in the 1990s, Nile perch fishery has attracted huge investments in its harvesting and processing sections, more fish catchers and fish traders, and contributed significantly to employment, income and foreign exchange. In addition, Nile perch fishery is integrated into the global market, as most of its landed catch is exported to international markets in Europe, the US and the Middle East (Jansen, Abila and Owino, 2000).

54

Dagaa is commercially the second most important fishery. Dagaa, a small sardine-like fish, is one of the indigenous fish species of Lake Victoria (Jansen et al., 2000). Dagaa is used both for human consumption and for feeding animals. Dagaa is traded in the local, domestic and regional markets (Jansen et al., 2000). Tilapia (Sato) was also introduced into the lake in the 1950s and 1960s. It is commercially the third most important fishery. It inhabits the shallow waters of Lake Victoria. Of the three fisheries, Tilapia (Sato) is preferred the most for consumption by local people. Tilapia is traded in local, national and regional markets and contributes to food security, income and employment.

The Nile perch, Dagaa and Tilapia fisheries have great socio-economic significance for the local people and their communities and for the local and national governments. While members of these communities participate in a number of fisheries activities to realise their social and economic goals, local and national governments manage these activities and benefit from the revenues by them.

In Tanzania, the fishing sector is managed mainly through the National Fisheries Sector Policy and Strategic Statements (1997), the Marine Parks and Reserves Act No. 29 of 1994, and the Fisheries Act No. 22 of 2003 and its principal Regulations of 2009. The National Fisheries Sector Policy and Strategy Statements (1997) guides the development of a robust, competitive, efficient and sustainable fisheries sector that contributes to food security, growth of the national economy and improvement of the well-being of fisheries stakeholders. The Marine Parks and Reserves Act No. 29 of 1994 promotes the protection and conservation of fisheries resources and of the aquatic environment for the sustainability of resources.

The Fisheries Act No. 22 contain stipulations on fisheries administration, fishery industry development, aquaculture, the management and the control of the fishing industry, as well as on issues of fish quality management and standards, financial provisions, enforcement, offences and penalties. In addition, the Fisheries Act No. 22 (section 18) and its principal Regulations of 2009 (Regulations 133-136) provide for the establishment of Beach Management Units (BMUs) to effectively involve key resource users, local communities and other stakeholders in the co-management of fisheries resources.

Other relevant policies and guidelines have some bearing on and are invoked in matters of either fisheries resource management or utilisation with a view to achieving social and economic benefits.

First, the National Environmental Policy of 1997, which advocates, among other things, for the sustainable utilisation of fisheries resources by using appropriate fishing gear and processing methods, the conservation of fish stocks, and the protection of fragile ecosystems and endangered species.

Second, the National Investment Policy of 1997 calls for and guides more foreign and domestic investments in the fishing industry to contribute to employment and economic growth. Third, the Fisheries Master Plan of 2002 formulate guidelines on developing a feasible integrated development strategy that strengthens the capacities of artisanal fisheries groups, small-scale traders, fish

55

processors and their communities, and contains stipulations on their participation in the fishing sector to attain sustainable economic growth.

Fourth, the National Trade Policy of 2003, which advocates, among other things, for enhancing the contribution of non-traditional (including fishery) export to the growth of the economy. Fifth, the second National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction (MKUKUTA II, 2010), which advocates for mainstreaming the fishing sector into a poverty-reduction strategy and to manage it (the fishing sector) efficiently to achieve poverty-reducing growth. All these policies, laws and guidelines and their implementation in concrete contexts have the potential to support or constrain local actors in the fishing sector, which means that they must be implemented cautiously.

In principal, the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development (MLFD) is responsible for the general development of the fishing sector and the implementation of the National Fisheries Policy of 1997 and the Fisheries Act of 2003. At lower levels, the Fisheries Division collaborates with local government authorities (LGAs) to efficiently manage the fisheries activities to realise the stipulated policy goals. In particular, LGAs have the management responsibility to ensure the legal operation of fishing activities in their areas by (i) issuing licenses for artisanal and small-scale fisheries operations, and (ii) enforcing the laws and carrying out surveillance of fishing activities.

Other responsibilities of the LGAs include (iii) issuing by-laws and participating in formulating regulations, (iv) preparing fisheries development plans that include formulating Beach Management Unit (BMUs) priorities, (vi) registering fishing vessels, (vii) providing extension services to different stakeholders in the fishing sector, and (viii) collecting revenue (URT, 2013a: 10). In line with the aforesaid, the fishing sector of Ukerewe therefore is under the governance and management of the Ukerewe District Council.

In the context of the call of MKUKUTA II stated in Chapter 1, local government authorities (LGAs) in areas with fisheries resources are expected to initiate and implement pro-poor development interventions in their local fishing sector. In fact, following the successful implementation of the local government reform programme from 1999 to 2001, Tanzanian LGAs such as the Ukerewe District Council are legally duty-bound to improve the socio-economic conditions of their citizens through devising and implementing policies and making operational decisions in accordance with the laws and government policies to address constraining factors (URT, 1998). Moreover, as key implementers of the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty and the National Development Vision 2025, Tanzanian LGAs are expected to facilitate and collaborate with other stakeholders in strategising ways to attain economic growth and reduce poverty in their respective jurisdictions (URT, 2010).

56

Given the foregoing, this empirical study focused on the fishing sector of Ukerewe District and sought to engage key actors and stakeholders in action-based ethical reflection and deliberation on the production and reproduction of poverty in the fisheries sections, and the possibility of and requirements for facilitating the attainment of prosperity through the productive fisheries activities that are undertaken.