Issue 19

October - December 2013

Whale shark tourism in Mafia Island continues to be very popular but concerns have been raised about its impact on whale shark behaviour and hence its environmental and economic sustainability.

In November, Sea Sense, together with the Marine Megafauna Foundation (Mozambique) held a workshop with whale shark tourism operators and boat crews. Participants learnt about whale shark biology, behaviour and conservation and a 'Code of Conduct' for skippers and visitors was agreed. Sea Sense and MMF are in the process of producing a 'Whale Shark Briefing Pack' to be distributed to all visitors that take part in whale shark excursions to ensure a more informative and educational experience.

In October, Sea Sense Conservation Officers from all over Tanzania met in Pangani to share experiences from their communities and celebrate their considerable achievements in community based marine resource conservation. Conservation Officers play a key role in promoting good marine practice and act as an essential information bridge between Sea Sense and their communities - creating awareness about marine issues and facilitating positive change as well as keeping Sea Sense in touch with daily realities along the coast.

To highlight the importance of their role, Sea Sense presented a review of twelve years of research and monitoring activities carried out by Conservation Officers. Due to their hard work and dedication we now know that nesting green turtles in Tanzania lay between five to eight clutches of eggs a year and contrary to popular belief, they do not always come back to the same beach to nest. We know that the Rufiji Delta is one of the most important green turtle foraging grounds in the Western Indian Ocean and that bycatch in gill nets poses a risk to sea turtles all along the Tanzanian coast, but particularly in the Rufiji Delta.

This year Sea Sense celebrated World Fisheries Day in Mafia Island with fun and educational activities highlighting the theme of sustainable fisheries management through good governance and accountability.

Stakeholders and community members from all over the island were invited to attend and participate in the event. Local fishers took part in beach clean-ups at the Kilindoni fish-landing site, while staff from Mafia Island Marine Park organised a display and explanation of illegal fishing gears. The Mafia District Commissioner was the guest of honour and gave an inspiring speech highlighting the environmental and economic damage caused by illegal fishing practices and overfishing.

The flip flop project is going from strength to strength! Production in Mafia is in full swing with three more people recently joining the group in Juani, and quality is reaching new levels as the team refine their skills.

Women are telling us how this new source of income is improving their lives.
Bahati from Juani used to be a 'mama ntile' making and selling food in the village, but despite the long hours and hard work she barely made ends meet.
Now she makes bracelets instead and managed to buy herself her first bed with the profits. She says she sleeps much better now and hopes she can save enough to buy a phone next.

Treat yourself to a funky, fashionable and environmentally fabulous flip flop bracelet. Currently available from the Green Room at Slipway and the Sea Sense office in Dar, Chumbe Island in Zanzibar, Ras Kutani on south beach, Beach Crab and Mkoma Bay in Pangani and Mafia Island Diving, Shamba Kilole and Butiama in Mafia.

In November, Sea Sense held training workshops for Beach Management Units (BMUs) in Mafia and Kilwa Districts to improve their skills in managing local fisheries resources. The workshops took place over a three day period and included components on marine ecosystems, basic fisheries economics and the role of good governance and strong leadership in marine resource management.

Similar workshops are planned in Rufiji, Temeke and Pangani Districts so that community based fisheries managers have the necessary skills and knowledge to improve the quality and sustainability of fisheries based livelihoods and are therefore able to actively contribute to fisheries planning and development in their locality.