Zanzibar's Fisheries Development Bill 2026 reaches the Revolutionary Council
A new Fisheries Development Bill was debated in the Zanzibar Revolutionary Council, with some clauses reportedly withdrawn. The Fisheries Act 2010 remains the governing law until the Bill is enacted and published.
Our note. We cite the 2010 Act throughout this site. When the new law is published we will re-read it against every claim on these pages and update the citations rather than leave a stale reference standing.
The Citizen, 15 September 2026
Zanzibar launches a full fisheries census
The Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries launched a fisheries census intended to improve data quality across the sector. Results have not yet been published.
Our note. Most of the Zanzibar figures we publish come from a 2024 independent survey, because the official statistical series has gaps. When census results land, they become our primary source and our numbers may move.
The Citizen, 17 June 2026
IOTC moves Indian Ocean yellowfin out of the red — with caveats
The 2024 assessment classified Indian Ocean yellowfin as not overfished and not subject to overfishing, ending a red rating held since 2015. Reviewers urged caution about remaining model uncertainty, and the 2024 catch of 489,742 t still exceeded the estimated MSY of 421,000 t.
Our note. This is the single most consequential stock story for our main species. We report it as it is: an improvement, not an all-clear, and we say so on the sustainability page rather than quietly upgrading our language.
IOTC SC28; SeafoodSource, 10 February 2025
Independent policy work puts Tanzanian small-scale fisheries at 97% of production
A REPOA policy brief recorded small-scale capture fisheries at 97% of national production, with over four million people dependent directly or indirectly on fisheries and aquaculture, and per-capita fish consumption in Zanzibar at 23 kg a year against 7–8 kg on the mainland.
Our note. It is worth stating plainly: the artisanal fleet is not a romantic sideline in this country, it is the fishery. Industrial reporting in 2023 covered two longliners and one purse seiner.
REPOA Policy Brief 08/2025
Co-management in the Pemba Channel reported across 36 villages
Reporting on the Pemba Channel Conservation Area described co-management through Shehia Fisher Committees covering 36 villages and around 18,000 fishers, under a five-year renewable mandate signed in August 2023, with ranger patrols and community enterprise work.
Our note. This is the governance context we operate inside, run by other organisations. We are a buyer in that system and we are careful not to present their conservation work as ours.
ICRI, 14 May 2025; Blue Alliance
FDA tightens histamine thresholds for tuna
FDA's revised Compliance Policy Guide lowered the decomposition indicator from 50 ppm to 35 ppm and the health hazard level from 500 ppm to 200 ppm, detectable in one or more subsamples from a lot.
Our note. When our batch histamine testing starts with the laboratory programme, the release limit we will work to is under 5 mg/kg — well inside both. We flag the change now because a lot of supplier documentation in this trade still quotes the superseded 50/500 figures; worth checking on any spec sheet you are sent, including ours once it carries results.
FDA CPG Sec. 540.525, revised 4 November 2024
Survey documents Zanzibar's cold chain gap
An independent survey of Zanzibar's fisheries recorded 235 landing sites with around 80% not properly maintained, found that “the use of ice is rare”, and noted there is no certified laboratory in Zanzibar — export samples must be tested on the mainland.
Our note. This is the business case for Samaki Bluu in one paragraph, written by someone other than us. It is also why we treat the cold chain, not a slogan, as the thing worth investing in.
JICA, Information Collection Survey on the Fisheries Sector in Zanzibar, January 2024
How this page works. Items are dated to the source, not to when we noticed. If a signal later turns out to have been reported wrongly, we leave the item up and append a correction underneath it rather than deleting it. Company announcements, when we have any worth making, will be marked as such and kept separate from this list.
