Maputo - Mozambique wants $80m from international partners to fund a crackdown on illicit fishing in its waters, saying the illegal activity makes a heavy dent in annual revenues, a top maritime official said on Thursday.
"It a serious problem affecting the fishing industry, Mozambique loses $38m per year due to illegal fishing, a plan has been drawn up to deal with the problem", deputy national director of the maritime administration, Augusto Nhampule, told a conference in Maputo on illegal fishing.
Fishing contributes about 4% to Mozambiques' gross domestic product.
Mozambique is negotiating with international partners to provide $80m to purchase surveillance vessels to monitor its 2 500km coastline and curb illegal fishing.
Last year, Mozambique seized a Namibian registered ship carrying tonnes of sharks illegally fished in its waters.
The "Antillas Reefer", was seized off the coast of the central Zambezia province where fishing inspectors found 43 tonnes of shark as well as tonnes of shark fin, shark tail, shark liver and shark oil, with a total estimated value of $5m.
The problem of illicit fishing is not restricted to Mozambique.
"The sub-Saharan African region loses an estimated $1bn annually due to illegal fishing," Nhampule said.
- Reuters