Lake Rukwa to undergo thorough research activities

The Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI) will be given money which will enable it carry various economic research activities on marine creatures which are endowed in Lake Rukwa so that people might be benefited, the parliament has been informed. The deputy minister of Livestock and fisheries Abdallah Ulega said in parliament early this week when he was responding to the question earlier raised by Songwe legislator Phillip Mulugo who wanted to know strategies laid down by the government on researching the Lake which has become beneficial to the people so as to enable it have enough fish. He said sometimes the Lake is closed temporarily and no fishing activities is allowed any more so as to increase breeding and have more fish, but the situation remains as it is and in view of this, the legislator wanted to hear from the government’s directives. 

Former Education Minister Phillip Mulugo

The deputy minister Ulega said that the government has set aside a certain sum of money to help the research institute to look at the biodiversity of the lake and see how it can help people who have surrounded it. He said the money will be used in different purposes including looking at the capacity of the fish and those types needed to be fished out. Towards the end of last year, it was reported in the media that regional leaders had suspended the fishing activities in the lake with a common purpose that targeted to increase its breeding. The Rukwa Regional Commissioner Joachim Wangabo was reported as saying that, “he had decided to suspend fishing activities until health experts could ascertain the health environment condition and the outbreak of the epidemics such as cholera in fishing camps which are surrounding the lakes and the region as a whole. He noted that there are certain effects which are found in these fishing camps that can affect fish consumers and added that, those who carry fishing activities in the lake should stop doing so with immediate effect.