Fishing in Lake Tanganyika to be closed for breeding season

Fishing activities in Lake Tanganyika, shared by Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia, will be closed from today until August 15 to allow for fish breeding, a senior official said yesterday.

The four countries have jointly decided to close fishing during this period to sustainably manage the lake’s fisheries, Tanzanian Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Abdallah Ulega told parliament in Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania.

The closure was announced as Ulega presented budget estimates for his ministry for the 2024/2025 financial year, emphasising the shared interest among the member states in conserving, protecting and sustainably managing the lake and its basin’s resources.

He said that international obligations and standards necessitate the conservation, protection and sustainable management of transboundary natural resources and their environment.

However, the decision to close fishing has faced opposition from many lawmakers, who argue that it will deprive thousands of fishermen, particularly in Tanzania, of their livelihoods, which depend on the lake – Xinhua.