Maputo’s Maritime Administration is going to reinforce the levels of land and sea inspections along the border line at Ponta D’Ouro, in Maputo province, in the south of the country, in order to assess the legality of fishing vessels, the Agência de Informação de Moçambique reported .
The information was provided on Thursday, 19 July, by Maputo’s maritime administrator, Odete Muianga, at the ceremony to receive a vehicle to reinforce enforcement actions.
According to the official, there is already an action plan to monitor the legality and quality of the resources dedicated to the activity, particularly at Ponta D’Ouro. This action is designed to prevent maritime accidents and cases of illegal fishing in the region.
Odete Muianga explained that the inspection follows hard work to sensitise fishermen to their accreditation. ‘In the maritime area, we carried out inspections because we have to find out if the fishermen are really accredited or licensed to carry out that maritime activity,’ she said, emphasising: ‘We carried out the inspections and then went to check that all our users were already accredited so that they could go to sea.’
On the occasion, the Secretary of State in Maputo province, Judite Mussácula, asked for the vehicle to be maintained to ensure its longevity. “Inspection is a sector that needs a lot of attention, especially in this area and we know that they are on the border. So, with one more means, we’ll really have good results and we’ll reach places where it wasn’t possible before,’ she explained.
