The latest diving update covering the last few days here in Tofo. Visibility has been an amazing 25meters plus with just a slight hint of current! Water temperature has been a steady 25 degrees with the occasional warmer dive of 26 degrees. The wind has also been behaving itself lately thus allowing us some calmer and smoother boat trips. Some even better news however is that the Mantas are still up and about, with regular sighting on all of our reefs! Our Northern sites have been providing us with a couple of Sharks as well! Have had Whitetip Reef Sharks, Grey Reef Sharks and the occasional Leopard Shark. Once again there has been a large variety of Rays about and we have started seeing our amazing Smalleye Stingrays again! Manta Reef has also provided us with another Juvenile Ribbon Eel, always great to see some new ones out. Another discovery was made at Robs Bottom of two more Giant Frog Fish which then lead to an incredible experience with a Blue Marlin during our safety stop! On top of those magical encounters the Reefs themselves have been teaming with a large variety of marine life. Everything from schooling bannerfish, Snappers, Barracudas and Bigeye Trevally to Leaf Fish, Peacock Flounders, a few Banded Pipefish, the odd Stone fish and the rare Seagrass Ghost Pipefish! In other words the diving at the moment has been nothing short of spectacular so head on down to Diversity Scuba and enjoy a few days of diving with us! 🙂
Tofo Murmurs
The day started early and onshore with no real promise at all.
But as the tide dropped, it summoned up a little twist in the wind direction – to a side offshore, from the north.
Then the swell cleaned up and all of a sudden, Tofo came alive.
Steep takeoffs, fast and hollow sections…just like we know her.
The casualties started early and increased as the tide advanced.
Arjen lost his nose and got a few scratches to the head and Dave Charley popped his fin out in a power turn.
Fish Profile: Blue Tail Mullet
Fish Profile: Blue Tail Mullet
Fish Profile: Blue Tail Mullet – staple diet for communities in many tropical places throughout the Indo-Pacific, the blue tail mullet also puts up helluva fight on hook and line. Which in Mozambique and similar 3rd world countries, means hand line.
Life Underwater – Blue Tailed Mullet in the Umzimkulu Estuary (youtube.com)
Mostly though, these fish are caught in a huge net deployed from a dhow.
These fish above were netted.
But we saw an amazing display of fishing skills on the Inhambane Pier a few years back. Using handlines with tiny prawns as bait, local subsistence anglers expertly fight and subdue these fine-looking blue-tinged fish – they are so full of colour in the water. This guy must have run 3 or 4 kilos. However, we have seen some that look even bigger around here.
Support for small scale fishermen
MAPUTO, 22 Apr (AIM) – Mozambique is committed to the development of small
scale fishing and aquaculture because it considers this to be a strategic
vector for developing food security and contributing to improving the
balance of payments.
According to the Minister of Fisheries, Victor Borges, the fishing sector in
Mozambique plays a strategic role in food and nutritional security, raising
foreign exchange and generating jobs with an annual catch of 200,000 tonnes.
Speaking in Maputo on Monday during a regional meeting on the effects of
climate change and natural disasters on the fisheries sector, the Minister
pointed out that last year the country had to cope with a serious outbreak
of white spot disease that affected about 600 tonnes of production.
Borges stated that “about ninety per cent of the fisheries sector in
Mozambique is in the form of artisanal fisheries”.
According to Borges, fisheries lies in fifth place in Mozambique’s exports,
contributing two per cent to Gross National Product through exports worth 75
million dollars per year.
Mozambicans each consume on average ten kilogrammes of fish per year, which
represents about half of all animal protein consumed in the country.
However, Borges pointed out that this is still below the internationally
recommended level.
Currently the Mozambican government is encouraging private initiatives to
develop fish processing on land, especially with tuna fish.
The Minster added that the government is consolidating the national
inspection system for the control of quality in fish produce to protect the
consumer and export markets.
However, the Minster warned that natural disasters and climate change are
adding to recent problems of overfishing, pollution, coastal erosion and the
degradation of aquatic ecosystems.
The meeting is organised by the Ministry of Fisheries, the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD).
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Mozambique News Agency
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