A sea cucumber venture in Zanzibar seeks to balance business and conservation
PEMBA, Tanzania — Like many coastal communities across East Africa, the residents of Shamiani have grown accustomed to watching the sea yield less and less. Warming waters, degraded marine habitats and decades of fishing pressure have all taken a toll on the resources that once sustained local livelihoods, according to community members. On Tanzania’s Pemba […]
PEMBA, Tanzania — In recent years, coastal communities across East Africa have witnessed a decline in marine resources due to warming waters, degraded habitats, and centuries of fishing pressure. Shamiani, a village on Tanzania’s Pemba Island, located within the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar, is no exception. The residents of Shamiani, like their counterparts in other coastal areas, have observed a steady decline in the productivity of their nearshore marine resources.
Sea cucumbers, once a primary source of income for local fishers and gleaners, have become increasingly scarce. Fishermen and gatherers have had to work harder to make smaller returns from the coastal waters, which they now believe are less productive than they once were.
The situation prompted the establishment of Asili, a Tanzania-based aquaculture company that has been working with communities on Pemba since 2022. Asili aims to address the declining marine resources by implementing a unique approach: ranching sea cucumbers in locally protected marine areas. The company's model seeks to restore depleted coastal ecosystems while generating income from a high-value export. This innovative approach allows the communities to balance their need for business with the imperative of conservation.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
