Muheza — Dynamite fishing here has been singled out as a major challenge for the newly established Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park Authority.

The park acting conservator, Mr Sylvester Kazimoto, said at the proposed headquarters of the project that there was still much work to do before the vice threatening the newly established park is completely eliminated.

The Livestock Development and Fisheries minister, Dr John Magufuli, last year warned that the re-emerging spate of dynamite and other illegal fishing practices could be a threat to the establishment of Kigombe Marine Reserved Area comprising coelacanth, a rare fossil fish.

"The sustainability of the rare fossil fish will depend on the preservation of its breeding, feeding and growth environment," Dr Magufuli said while officiating at a two-day stakeholder conference for the proposed Kigombe Marine Reserved area at Mkonge Hotel in Tanga City.

Mr Kazimoto said complaints over dynamite blasts by investors in hotels at the area had sharply decreased after the park was established. The park conducts regular patrols in collaboration with the surrounding villagers.

He said the village environment committee was since the days of the Tanga Coastal Zone Conservation and Development Programme (TCZCDP) vigilant against illegal fishing activities.

The blasts, which used to be heard almost daily, had been reduced to about five a month. TCZCDP had to engage navy in 1995 to reduce the prevailed dynamite blasts, which amounted to about 180 a day.

A campaign waged at the area had successfully wiped out dynamite fishing before the vice re-emerged due to the navy ending its contract and the programme tenure elapsing.

Findings of a research indicated that dynamite fishing was re-emerging with new force to an alarming rate reached in 1995.

"Reports indicate that dynamite fishing is persistent in the Tanga costal area and in some areas the situation is very serious with blasts being reported to range from 30 to 50 every day," Mr Kazimoto said.

Dynamite blasts wreck havoc to coral reefs, which are the marine animals' habitats, including the famous coelacanths. The research findings also found out that 20 out of 50 coral reef families situated in the east of the Indian Ocean are found in Tanga Region.

The research conducted by the International Conservation Union - IUCN - in 1988 indicated that there had been an extensive destruction of coral reefs in the Tanga coastal area, leading to only about 20 per cent of coral reefs to remain in good health.

Another research conducted in 1995 had also shown that only 24 per cent of the 58 coral reefs under observation were in good health, while 64 per cent were in critical condition and 12 per cent were completely destroyed.

Mr Kazimoto said the park management and the village committee had decided to confiscate fishing vessels and other equipment instead of sending culprits to court where they either walked out scot free or got away with light sentences.

"I think we need to conduct an awareness campaign for magistrates. They seem to have little understanding of the importance of the marine life to the ecology of the sea and lives of the coastal people," he said.

The Chairman of the Village, Mr Mumbi Haji, appealed to the government to give them a hand by increasing the force required for curtailing dynamite fishing.

"The masterminds behind the vice are very strong. Once a dynamite fisherman is arrested, others ensure their colleague is released as soon as possible," he said.

The village Environmental Committee chairman, Mr Mkuu Mohamed, was optimistic that the new fishing licensing system involving village governments would prevent suspected dynamite fishermen from getting the documents.