The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has clarified that the temporary relaxation of trawling restrictions for the wet-landed horse mackerel subsector only applies to the area between latitudes 22° South and 24° South.
The clarification follows Cabinet’s approval to allow trawling in waters shallower than the 200-meter Isobath, up to the 150-meter Isobath, for a period of 12 months from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027.
On Sunday, the ministry’s spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said there had been misunderstandings regarding the designated trawling zones.
He explained that offshore areas south of latitude 22° South, beyond the 200-meter Isobath, remain open to all operators under the current system.
Cabinet also approved that the ministry designate an area south of latitude 22° South, outside the 200-meter Isobath, for exclusive use by the wet-landed horse mackerel subsector.
Muyunda said the areas reserved exclusively for the subsector have not yet been finalised and will only be identified after consultations with the fishing industry and other stakeholders.
