The revenues resulting from the practice of fishing activity, in the province of Tete, reached in the period between January and April of the current year, 33 198,16 million meticais, corresponding to 91,4% of what was planned for the period.

The fact was revealed, a few days ago, by the person in charge of the Fisheries Department at the Provincial Council of State Representation, in Tete, Piedade Mulaicho Malizane, having indicated that the amount refers to the licensing of vessels and other activities related to fishing, mostly in the Cahora-Bassa reservoir, which covers the districts of Zumbu, Mágoè, Marávia and Cahora-Bassa.

To the newspaper Notícias, the source revealed that, at this moment, about 300 vessels of various calibers are in full exercise of catching fish in the Cahora-Bassa reservoir, being all along the districts of Cahora-Bassa, Mágoè, Marávia and Zumbu.

He announced that in the first four months of the current year seven fines in the amount of 647,442 meticais were issued for various infractions of the fishing legislation, with emphasis on the capture, possession and transport of smaller fish, 269,073 meticais were paid.

In relation to the inspection activity along the Cahora-Bassa reservoir, the source said that from the work carried out in the field, some irregularities were detected, such as fishing activities in prohibited areas and less than 500 meters from the coast, in addition to some of the fishermen not having copies of licenses on board, which culminated in 28 notifications, 12 of which are still being processed.

For artisanal fishing, Piedade Malizane pointed out the inspections carried out in the districts of Cahora-Bassa, Mágoè, Marávia, Zumbu and Mutarara, which culminated with the seizure and destruction of 387 pieces of gear harmful to fishing.

In the first four months of the current year, according to the head of the Fisheries Department at the Economic Activities Services of the State Representation Council, 668 tons of fishery products were imported and certified for domestic consumption, a figure lower than the quantities performed in the same period last year, which reached 700 tons.

It should be noted that the fishing resources exploited at the level of the Tete province occur in their totality on the Zambezi River, whether in the Cahora-Bassa Reservoir or in the districts of Dôa and Mutarara, downstream of the Cahora-Bassa Hydroelectric Dam.

"In this province, there are favorable conditions for the practice of fishing and fish farming activities provided by the existence of the Cahora-Bassa Reservoir and a relatively important river network,'' he said.