The Mozambican government has cut tuna fishing licence fees for foreign fleets by less than half, according to the 2018 update to the tables, which came into force at the end of July.
At stake is ministerial diploma no. 100/2023, which updates the tuna fishing licence fees applicable to the national fleet with a base port abroad and to the foreign fleet with a base port abroad operating in the jurisdictional waters of Mozambique, of 25 July and consulted today by Lusa, which amends diploma no. 60/2018, of 01 October.
In the diploma of the Ministries of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries and Economy and Finance, the annual fees payable by each foreign fleet fishing vessel in the tuna fishery are cut in all gears.
The fees for purse seine fishing by vessels with a national port fall 55% to 4.038 million meticais (57,500 euros), compared to the previous one, and for vessels with a foreign port fall 41% to seven million meticais (100,000 euros).
In longline fishing (type of line fishing), vessels from foreign fleets with a national port fall 77%, to 1.489 million meticais (21,200 euros), and those from foreign ports fall 62.5%, to 3.150 million meticais (44,900 euros).
In the national fleet, the annual rates remain unchanged, with the exception of the longline practised by vessels with a foreign port, which increases by 100%, to 2.149 million meticais (30,600 euros).
According to the documents supporting the State Budget for 2023, the Government estimates fishing of 3,748 tonnes of national tuna for the whole year, which if realised will be an increase of 172.7% over the forecast for 2022.
However, in the first quarter, according to budget execution data, only 183 tonnes of tuna were fished, still more than double the 67 tonnes in the same period of 2022.
Lusa
