The scarcity of white shrimp in Maputo Bay, a species of high commercial value, worries the owners of the Association of Semi-Industrial and Artisanal Trawler Fishermen of Maputo Bay (AMMAPESCAS).
The reasons are unknown, which is why the fishermen have forwarded their concern to the sector that oversees fisheries.
Speaking on Thursday (14) in Maputo during the official opening of the 2024 fishing season, AMMAPESCAS representative Fred Miranda also expressed his concern about the long duration of the closed season.
“The shipowners regret the long closed season, which has contributed negatively to the income of the families that depend on this activity, especially the most disadvantaged who live off the commercialisation of fine shrimp (Metapenaeus dobsoni),” he said.
In a brief contact with the press, the Minister for the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries (MIMAIP), Lídia Cardoso, said that there is still no explanation for the disappearance of the white shrimp, but as a way of guaranteeing their livelihoods fishermen have resorted to fine fish.
“At the moment we still don’t have an explanation, there are many factors. This shrimp takes longer to reproduce and a new dominant species is appearing that is being caught by our fishermen,” he said.
He explained that white shrimp have a high commercial value and are more flavoursome. Meanwhile, the authorities are working with the fishermen to use a different mesh to allow the white shrimp to grow and reach their normal size.
He said that this species is being fished when it is still small, something that hinders its development.
Regarding the closed season, she said that it is long considering the reproduction and growth season of the species. However, the authorities are considering the possibility of reducing it.
“It’s natural, we’ve already had closed seasons of five months and we’ve been reducing them according to the needs of the operators and at the same time we’re doing scientific cruises that will identify the stock of fish we have in our waters,” she said.
She admits that there should be more frequent scientific cruises to guarantee the sustainability of stocks.
The minister also said that “in order to prevent loss or reduction, we are giving these closed seasons, which at the moment are long, but are being reduced”.
“There are also the effects of climate change that we’ve been studying, the silting up of some areas in rivers and seas, we’ve been doing all these studies to see what impact this is having on fish stocks,” she added.
The closure of surface shrimp fishing on the Sofala bank in the centre of the country, Maputo Bay, the mouth of the Limpopo River and Govuro district in the south was announced four months ago by the Mozambican government to ensure the maintenance and reproduction of the species.
