Abstract: Fish farming normally known as aquaculture is mainly the commercial business of raising fish for human consumption; fish farming can be enclose in marine or natural water or artificial water body during farming, and coved by the forest to minimize the external environmental stress such as salinity and temperature increase as well as human induced stresses. Though it raises the status of social economic livelihood activities, but fish farming industry is faced by number of harvesting threats including the use of illegal fishing gears, antibiotic for treatment and disposals which affects the environment and biodiversity of the farms. In this study the influence of fish farming activities to the environmental conservation of fish farms and marine protected areas was analyzed. Four study sites of Beit el Ras, Baraka, Chumbe and Mnarani were used, and questionnaire and interview approaches were used as data collecting tools. Both purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select 80 respondents over four selected study sites. The study used both the qualitative and quantitative approaches of data analysis where statistical variables such as sum mean and percentages were used to produce the results from the sorted interview and questionnaire responses. Excel work sheets were used for plotting different types of graphs. The results revealed that preparation of fish farms and marine protected areas have significant impact to the environment as supported by 81% of the respondents. Deforestation, destruction of mangroves which may results into coastal erosion was among the highlighted impacts. Moreover, the results revealed that fish farming was perceive as leisure and tourist actives but currently fish farming 19 % of respondents were treating it as main socio economic activity. As for the influence of fishing gears (e.g. small to medium nets, Utupa among others ) to the fish farms environment results revealed that small (33%) to medium nets (31%) have high impacts such as killing small fishes, eroding the farms and surroundings as well as taking out unwanted materials like shells, sea grasses among others. Besides, the study has shown that Baraka and Chumbe have high frequency of using medium and small nets. Also the study have found the existence of high fishing frequency per week which highly erode the marine protected areas as supported by questionnaires responses of 43%, 33% and 25% attended fishing twice, thrice and four times a week, respectively. Indeed the proper harvesting frequency of once a week (33%); twice a week (27%); once in two weeks (13%) and once a month (27%) was also high to a level of overfishing which is among the factors of environmental degradation. The restriction of popping unwanted materials (plastic bag among others), though the bi laws are not being well practiced to punish the accused ones. Furthermore, the study has found that bombs and toxic gears (like chemicals, acids among others) which killed large number of fishes and disturbs the biodiversity are used. This was supported by 18%, and 74% of respondents were aware on the impacts of bombs to fishes environment and water quality. On the other hand the study has found the lack of proper monitoring education, technology and cooperation between fish farm owners and the society were among the challenges facing the pond and marine protected areas. Thus the study conclude that fish farming activities ranged from preparation of fish farms, gears used during fishing, harvesting frequency and disposals of unwanted materials to the fish farms and marine protected areas severely affects the environments of the fish farms and their surrounding areas. Also the study recommends the extensive awareness and cooperation between the fish farms owners, local governments and the society in maintain the environment of fish farms and marine protected areas.
Keywords: Preparation of fish farm/ponds, Fishing by Small Net, Fishing using Bomb and Toxic Gears, Disposal and Antibiotics, Environmental Conservation.
Title: INFLUENCE OF FISH FARMING ACTIVITIES ON ENVERONMENTAL CONSERVATION: A CASE STUDY OF MNARANI NATURAL AQUARIUM, BARAKA NUTURALAQUARIUM, CHUMBE MARINE CONSERVATION AND ZANZIBAR MARINE SANCTUARY
Author: Said Juma Ali, Dr. Kombo Hamad Kai
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
Research Publish Journals
