We understand that the conservation of fishery resources (e.g., octopus) requires a system that collects information while building transparency and trust among actors involved in the supply chain. This, in turn, empowers consumers to make informed decisions. AFO’s team, in cooperation with SALT, and with support from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries in Tanzania and the USAID Tanzania Mission, is currently implementing a project to help facilitate the development of an electronic catch documentation and traceability strategy that includes multi-stakeholder perspectives. The project provides a timely opportunity to inform the Tanzanian government’s development of a traceability program that will help fisheries management combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing while meeting EU market requirements, and empowering the majority of Tanzanian youth and women.
AFO supports the application of the Comprehensive Traceability Principles & Pathway in the Octopus Fishery in Kilwa District Tanzania by providing seafood traceability technical assistance, supporting communications, outreach, and the development of a traceability strategy. AFO facilitates effective communication about the project by helping to ensure that partners on-the-ground understand the project and strengthen collaboration among actors in the fishery. AFO cooperated with SALT and organized a launch webinar to share SALT’s work and the importance of the Tanzanian octopus fishery and seafood traceability. Stakeholder identification and analysis for the octopus fishery at Kilwa District was conducted recently through an in-house brainstorming session, webinar, and site visits. These events provided a map of stakeholders and identified important actors to engage further for success of the project. Currently, we are conducting a catch documentation and traceability (CDT) gap analysis to come up with a report that will inform the co-design event, who the key stakeholders are, and the development of the comprehensive seafood traceability strategy. Finally, the project will result in a complete strategy that will be applied in implementing the full Traceability Principles & Pathway for octopus fishery at Kilwa district and broader Tanzania. We are so excited and pleased to be a local partner in this very important project that will contribute to biodiversity conservation, sustainable fishery management, and expand livelihood opportunities for youth and women of Tanzania. Soon, AFO will meet in person with the government of Tanzania to share our progress thus far.