PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete has appointed Mr Zahor Kassim Mohamed El-Kharousy as the Director of the Deep Sea Fishing Authority.

A press release issued by the Directorate of Presidential Communications signed by the Chief Secretary, Ambassador Ombeni Sefue, confirms the appointment of Mr El Kharousy.

Prior to the appointment, Mr El Kharousy was the Deputy Director of the Authority.

The Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone Act was enacted in 1989; and the Deep Sea Fishing Authority Act No 1 of 1998 was enacted and amended in 2007 (Act No.4 of 2007).

The latter provided for the establishment of the Deep Sea Fishing Authority (DSFA) to regulate, monitor and promote fishing in the EEZ. Eventually DSFA started functioning in early 2010 under interim management and skeleton staff.

The functions of the Authority are to promote, regulate and control fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone, regulate the licensing of persons and ships intending to fish in the Zone, initiate, implement and ascertain the enforcement of policies on deep sea fishing vessels, formulate and coordinate programmes for scientific research in respect of fishing, formulate fisheries policies and to negotiate and enter into any fishing or other contract, agreement or any kind of fishing cooperation with any government, international organisation or other institution in pursuance of the provisions of the DSFA Act.