Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
marine resources caught locally, such as shark i n. At the end of the study
period this i shery had temporarily ceased. At least one Tanzanian sea
cucumber i shing operation was active in the Archipelago, using SCUBA
gear. Traditionally, local i shers collect sea cucumbers by snorkelling, thus
limiting the depth range over which they are vulnerable. Ordinary net or
trap i shers who collect sea cucumbers while they are i shing can sell them
individually to traders for up to 1000MZN (less than US$0.10) each. Other
incidental catches that can be sold to traders include seahorses for which a
i sher can get 5000MZN (US$0.40) for a 7cm individual and the opercula of
some shells, which can be sold by the kilo for 150 000MZN (US$12.00) or
individually for a few hundred meticais. These traders sell these resources
on in bulk across the border in Tanzania to be sold on to the Far East.
The prices for i sh caught in the seagrass and coral reef i sheries of
Quirimba were remarkably consistent. Fresh i sh were sold for a set
price of between 4000 and 5000MZN per kilo. Occasionally large, good
quality lethrinids caught in baited traps or by hook and line were sold
for a higher price (reportedly up to 10000MZN per kilo) because of
the good quality of lethrinid l esh. Otherwise, everything from a kilo of
7-10cm
Lethrinus variegatus
or other small i sh, to a kilo of a large jack
(
Carangidae
) or snapper (
Lutjanidae
) caught in a fence trap was sold for
around 4000MZN. 5000MZN per kilo of i sh was the standard price for
i sh throughout rural coastal Cabo Delgado. The same price was charged
in the rural Mecui district south of Pemba, where 5000MZN was quoted
as the lowest price of i sh in Mozambique (Loureiro, 1998). Set prices are
common for a variety of commodities in northern Mozambique, from
shelli sh to sweet potatoes.
The only way to preserve i sh on Quirimba is to dry it in the sun. This is
done on drying racks outside houses in the village. Dried i sh was sold on
the mainland for between 15 000 and 20 000MZN per kilo. Small i sh are
dried closed (
fechado
) and were sold for 15 000MZN per kilo and larger i sh
are dried open (
aberto -
like a kipper) and sold for the slightly higher price
of 16 000MZN per kilo. Dried i sh often have a slightly 'of ' taste, which
does not prevent their sale or consumption. Occasionally seagrass parrot-
i sh (
Leptoscarus vaigiensis
) die in the
marema
traps, and are retrieved in a
partially rotted state. These i sh are not discarded and are dried as normal
and sold for consumption. The highest prices, some exceeding 25 000MZN
per kilo were given for dried i sh sold in villages a long way inland. The
prices of i sh and marine invertebrates on Quirimba are shown in Table
8.2, along with a selection of other local prices for comparison. Note the
high prices per kilo of fresh invertebrates (10 000-15 000MZN) compared
with that of i sh (3000-5000MZN), and also the high price of imported
goods such as sugar (20 000MZN per kilo) and onions (25 000 per kilo).
