A Socio-Economic Profile of the Rufiji Floodplain and Delta.

Socio-economic profile of Rufiji flood plain and Delta - Vol. 1
Table 22: Amount of fish harvest lost per year by AEZ
Inner Delta Inner Delta Delta North Delta South North South Flood West Total
North South (n=4) (n=12) (n=7) Flood Plain Plain (n=4) Valley (n=53)
(n=17)
(n=4)
(n=5)
Percent of respondents
Less than a 70.6 50.0 83.3 85.7 75.0 50.0 40.0 69.8
quarter
A quarter to 23.5 25.0 8.3 14.3 25.0 50.0 60.0 24.5
a half
More than a 5.9 25.0 8.3 5.7
half
Source Survey data (2000)
Based on the above, various measures could be introduced to increase the overall profits from fishing.
The respondents proposed the following measures in order of priority:
• Use modern fishing equipment. Making the modern fishing equipment available in the survey area
can facilitate this. Encouraging local stockists in various ways can assist in availing the equipment
to the area;
• Making modern storage facilities available;
• Availability of adequate capital for investment, for example, encouraging credit facilities to assist
smallholder fishermen;
• Provision of reliable market outlets, coupled with improved transport infrastructure;
• Control or management of dangerous river/lake animals, and;
• Reduction of fishing levies/fees.
Employed fishermen
Ten people engaged in fish trading from the sample gave the following information. 70% indicated
that fish trading value losses are less than a quarter. Fish traders from south flood plain and the west
valley indicated that the loss is a quarter to a half (Table 23). Only 10% of the fish traders indicated
that the loss is more than a half, and this is mainly from the inner Delta north zone.
The reasons for fish losses from trading are similar to those reported for smallholder fishing. Main
reasons for loss of fish in trading are poor storage facilities, price fluctuations and poor transport
infrastructure.
When asked to mention ways to improve profits from fish trade, respondents suggested the following:
• Availability of capital for example from credit provision;
• Availability of reliable markets;
• Efforts to stabilise fish prices, and;
• Encouraging co-operation between fish traders.
Table 23: Loss in terms of value from fish trading per year by AEZ
Inner Delta Inner Delta Delta Delta North South West Total
North South North South Flood Plain Flood Plain Valley (n=10)
(n=3) (n=1) (n=2) (n=1) (n=1) (n=1) (n=1)
Percent of respondents
Less than a 66.7 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 70.0
quarter
A quarter to a
100.0 100.0 20.0
half
More than a
half
33.3 10.0
Source: Survey data (2000)
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