A PDF of this press release can be found here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 28 September 2020
Jasmine Roncesvalles
Love the Oceans
+44 (0)7590699480
outreach@lovetheoceans.org
cc: info@lovetheoceans.org

Local NGO launches ground-breaking initiative in poverty stricken Mozambique community to tackle COVID-19 related poaching

Love The Oceans is working with fishermen to ensure that locals who have lost their incomes from a lack of tourism due to the global pandemic, can continue to fish for their families, without destroying fish stocks.

Jangamo, Mozambique: The global pandemic has reduced the income from tourism by over 95%¹ in this third world country, leaving huge amounts of the population without an income. This has resulted in increased pressure on the oceans as people have turned to illegal poaching to feed their families. This unsustainable poaching could result in a collapse in local fish stocks, ultimately leaving people to starve. Love the Oceans sustainable fishing project offers an opportunity for people to continue to fish for their families legally and sustainably – a win for the people and the oceans.

“People have become desperate, turning to illegal poaching for food. This project is the first of its kind in this area and builds on our 5-year coral and fisheries research which provided invaluable evidence of the damage being done to fish stocks through spearfishing and netting,” says Love The Oceans founder Francesca Trotman.

“However, we urgently need more funds in order to ensure that fish stocks remain for future generations.”

This initiative will enable the fishermen to use kayaks to fish from instead, allowing them to reach deeper waters and target larger carnivorous fish – the fish that predate on the herbivores, allowing the herbivore population to recover. To participate, the fishermen must give up their other methods of fishing (netting and spearfishing) and take part in a sustainability workshop, ultimately alleviating pressure on local reefs and restoring balance in the marine ecosystem.

Initial set up costs for the project are partially funded by zinc-oxide supplier Evercare as part of their Positive Reef Initiative, and the award-winning PaddleYak Sea Kayak Productions CC and Real Cape Adventures CC. The project is designed to eventually become financially sustainable in itself, with the fishermen earning enough to maintain it. LTO requires an additional £8000 to cover set-up costs and has started a justgiving page to raise funds, be it through individual donors, corporate sponsors, fundraisers or equipment sponsors. Even a small donation makes a big difference in their efforts with a meter of rudder cable being just £1.50 and a rod for £30.

The project will start in October 2020 and the justgiving page will be updated regularly, as well as updates posted on all of LTO’s social media platforms.

Quotes:

“The global pandemic has stopped tourism in Mozambique and people have become desperate, turning to illegal poaching for food. This project is essential, giving people the opportunity to continue to fish, legally and sustainably to feed their families.” says Francesca Trotman, Founder at Love the Oceans.

“This is a win for the people and the sea” says Francesca Trotman, Founder at Love the Oceans.

“This is a locally led project, working in partnership with the fishing community. It has the potential to change the face of fishing in this region and save the coral reefs while we still can.” says Francesca Trotman, Founder at Love the Oceans.

Social Media Links:  
Instagram & Twitter: @lovetheoceans
Facebook: @lovetheoceansorganisation
LinkedIn & Youtube: Love The Oceans
Website: lovetheoceans.org
Email: info@lovetheoceans.org
Fundraiser: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sustainablefishingproject

About [Company]: Love the Oceans is a non-profit marine conservation organisation working in Jangamo Bay, Mozambique to protect and study the diverse marine life and megafauna found in the area. We use research, education and diving to drive action towards a more sustainable future. Our mission is to protect the marine environment in the Jangamo district of Mozambique and establish it as a Marine Protected Area. In doing so, working towards our vision to develop a holistic conservation strategy which can be replicated along the East African Coastline which protects and preserves the diverse ocean fauna native to those areas while empowering the surrounding communities to thrive.

LTO was recently highlighted by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for our work and received international recognition.

Please email francesca@lovetheoceans.org for full copies of these images.
A PDF version of this press release can be found here.

References
^{1 https://allafrica.com/stories/202008240522.html}