Usually the beginning of March rhymes with the opening of the shrimp fishery. But this year, the government has not yet announced any date. A sector reform project is coming out, it was agreed that the date would be known at the same time as the reform was unveiled. An insecurity situation that is difficult to endure for the large shrimp whose licenses and fishing permits have just expired. But also for the 1,600 seafarers in the Majunga region who are nailed on the quay with no source of income.
With its 8,000 tonnes of shrimp exported annually, the shrimp industry is one of the 5 activity sectors that generate the most currency on the island. Over the years, the sector has been structured to preserve the fragile resource. State control bodies were set up, but they are now in distress due to lack of support.
Like the mining sector, however, the fisheries sector has been declared a priority sector in the famous presidential plan (editor’s note: “Plan Emergence Madagascar”, which has never been revealed to the public). For two years, the Ministry of Fisheries has also been working on a thorough reform.
“For 20 years there has been too much carelessness in the industry. Everyone did what they wanted, ”a well-informed source told the ministry. “Authorizations, licenses, the number of operators, tenders, we review everything. So it is a difficult reform for its editors as well as for those who will have to follow it, ”she concludes.
As the end of the fishing season draws to a close, operators are requesting temporary licenses from their Ministry of Supervision. One request refused to “allow everyone to travel at the same time on the same basis”. But this expectation is very tense. For the major players in the sector, at the head of an intense lobbying business, it is heresy that the opening date for fisheries, which is usually chosen on the basis of biological criteria, is delayed in sticking to the implementation of a reform.
“We will save the furniture if we go fishing on the 15th,” says an economic operator who preferred to remain anonymous. “But if we go fishing in early April, it can be tragic because we have missed the most productive month: the shrimp are horizontal or are eaten by their predators. ”
On the side of Gepam, the group of companies in the autonomous province of Majunga, we become impatient. Thierry Rasoanaivo, its president, explains: “We members of Gepam are really waiting for the departure of the fishing vessels. That’s a big shortcoming for us. We are ready to discuss what system the state wants to introduce. We are available to the state to consult. But it is imperative that the boats fish. And we will discuss after. In particular, this reform must not be a barrier to the region’s economic activity. ”
It is impossible to know what the main lines of the reform will be. Some information has been leaked. And consultation with all stakeholders does not appear to have taken place. “What brews can be harmful to our industry. We hope that the chosen choices will not ruin the entire current system, ”says another operator.
The reform is reportedly complete. Changes were made last week at first reading in the Council of Ministers. Many hope to be determined on their fate tonight, Wednesday 10 March, at the end of the Council of Ministers, if the topic is kept on the agenda.
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