The
government
of
Zimbabwe
has
concluded
public
consultations
on
a
new
bill
seeking
to
streamline
the
regulation
and
management
of
the
Southern
African
nation’s
fisheries,
as
well
as
standardizing
fish
production
and
handling
procedures
in
its
aquaculture
operations.
The
Zimbabwean
Fisheries
and
Aquaculture
Bill
–
which
is
being
promoted
by
the
country’s
Ministry
of
Lands,
Agriculture,
Fisheries,
Water,
and
Rural
Development
–
proposes
placing
regulatory
powers
for
fisheries
and
aquaculture
solely
under
the
ministry’s
Fisheries
and
Aquaculture
Resources
Production
Department,
as
opposed
to
the
current
arrangement
where
several
agencies
oversee
the
country’s
fishing
activities.
Consolidating
fisheries
and
aquaculture
management
under
a
single
department
“will
promote
clarity,
reduce
bureaucracy,
and
enhance
our
ability
to
manage
these
critical
resources
sustainably,”
Department
of
Fisheries
and
Aquatic
Resources
Director Milton
Makumbe
said.
Makumbe
further
explained
that
the
bill
seeks
to
address
regulatory
overlaps,
such
as
several
fee
categories
levied
by
different
agencies,
through
the
promulgation
of
“a
single,
coherent
legal
framework.”
“The
bill
will
provide
a
sound
and
enabling
legal
framework,
anchored
on
global
best
practices,
to
attract
investors
and
promote
long-term
investments,”
he
said.
With
the
conclusion
of
public
participation
on
the
bill,
Zimbabwean
Parliament’s
Committee
on
Lands,
Agriculture,
Water,
Fisheries,
and
Rural
Resettlement
is
expected
to
fine
tune
the
document
before
handing
it
over
to
both
Houses
of
Parliament
for
scrutiny
and
debate
before
a
member
vote.
If
the
bill
gets
parliament’s
nod
of
approval,
it
is
expected
to
be
passed
into
an
Act
of
Parliament
by
Zimbabwe
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa.
“We
see
such
bills
as
essential
elements
for
the
transformation
of
the
fisheries
and
aquaculture
sector,
and
to
link
it
to
the
recent
…
blue
economy
drive,
it’s
a
gamechanger,”
Blessing
Mapfumo, the
executive
officer
of
the
African
Chapter
of
the
World
Aquaculture
Society told
SeafoodSource.
Zimbabwe
has
received
criticism
in
the
past
for
its
unorganized
fishing
regulations,
which
have
caused
overfishing
of tilapia,
bream,
catfish,
and
more
in
Lake
Kariba.
To
alleviate
the
issue,
Zimbabwe
and
neighboring
Zambia
have
been
called
upon
to harmonize
their
respective
policies on
managing
the
lake’s
fishery
in
a
similar
fashion
as
the
new
bill
is
aiming
to
achieve.
Source:
New
fisheries
and
aquaculture
bill
set
to
streamline
Zimbabwe’s
seafood
industry
|
SeafoodSource