Pirates raid Mozambique sea treasures

Rare fish caught off Mozambique for pet fish market

source: Tim Judah
Observer June 16 2002 p20

Marine life living off the coast of Mozambique is under threat, due to the activities of dealers from South Africa, Tanzania, Portugal and China, who pay local people to catch exotic fish and other species, some to be eaten, others to be used for decoration or to be kept in aquaria. Mozambique is a very poor country, and trade in exotic species can bring wealth, so there has been opposition to environmentalists who want to study the trade, and who are against it. Even some government officials from Mozambique may be involved in the trade. South Africans tend to specialize in fish dealing, while Mozambican and Portuguese dealers buy shells and coral in very large amounts, which threatens the reefs off Mozambique. Dynamite is being used by Tanaznian fishermen to blast reefs of northern Mozambique. Chinese dealers are interested in shark fins, believed in China to be aphrodisiacs and sea cucumbers, which are eaten.

There has been some effort to preserve marine life, however, for example, the Quirimbas national park includes sea areas as well as land, and there are some sea patrols by officials.