SOCIOECONOMIC FACET OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT IN HOMBOLO DAM, DODOMA - TANZANIA

Abstract

Assessment of fisheries activities in socioeconomic context is paramount if to guarantee adaptive co-management of the resources. The study investigated the status of fishing activities and documented the drivers threatening fish stock in the Hombolo Man-made Dam between January and October 2019. Semi-structured interviews, Focus group discussion, Key informants interviews, direct field observations and documentary review were employed to collect data. Content analysis, Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 and ERDAS software were used to analyze data. Results show the decline in amount of fish harvested (AFH) by 72.5% at β ± SE: -0.99 ± 0.14, t=-3.05, p = 0.003 between 2011 and 2019. Similarly, number of fishermen and fishing boats decreased by 67% at -0.36 ± 0.71, t=-0.24, p = 0.016 and 53% at -0.58 ± 0.21, t=-1.33, p = 0.006 respectively between 2005-2019. The observed decrease in AFH, fishermen and fishing vessels perceived to imply the decline in the dam fish stock. Overfishing, population increase, poverty and inadequate law enforcement were perceived as drivers of fish stock attenuation. The study recommends further assessment of the dam ecology for effective fish restocking and provisioning of environmental education along with effective law enforcement for sustainable management of the dam.