The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. In Tanzania, TNC is working with different stakeholders to achieve community development through sustainable and equal fisheries resources management.

The Fisheries Sector in Tanzania consists of both capture fisheries and aquaculture. The sector contributes to food security and socio-economic development by providing substantial employment, income, food, animal protein, foreign exchange, improved livelihoods, and the nation’s prosperity. The scale of fisheries operations ranges from small-scale (artisanal) fishing to industrial fishing, with small-scale fishing contributing more than 95% of the country’s total catches. The fisheries sector has high potential and its contribution to the GDP is approximately 1.8% in the year 2022.

The sector had been growing at an average rate of 2.5% in the year 2022. The per capita fish consumption in Tanzania is 8.5 kg per person per year. About 200,000 people(0.35%)are full-time small-scale fishers and approximately A.5 million(6.89%) Tanzanians are indirectly employed in the fisheries sector.

However, Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing contributes to a significant loss of fisheries resources through postharvest loss, decreased income to community and government revenues, weakening national food security while exacerbating poverty through destroyed fish spawning and nursery grounds.

Investigating the magnitude of Illegal Unregulated and Unreported fishing practices will provide baseline information which are fundamental in decision making on how to best manage resource and ensure its sustainability.

It is in this context that TNC, via Lake Tanganyika Program, is seeking a competent vendor to team up with the Tanzania Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (MLF) experts to assess the status of Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing practices on the shorelines of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania.