Fisheries production in Mozambique recorded notable growth of 9% in 2023, reaching almost 500,000 tonnes, exceeding expectations and the targets previously set by the sector. This significant increase is reflected in 496,373 tonnes of fish caught over the year, surpassing the 455,544 tonnes recorded in 2022 and the 474,576 tonnes expected for the period.
Artisanal fishing was the biggest contributor to this growth, with production of 466,491 tonnes, an increase of 7.8% on the previous year. Commercial fishing (industrial and semi-industrial) also saw a considerable increase, with a total of 20,230 tonnes, up 16.4%. Notably, aquaculture showed the largest percentage growth, with an impressive rise of 73.1%, culminating in 9,553 tonnes of production.
Among the products highlighted in commercial fishing, prawns took the lead, with 3,041 tonnes caught, an increase of 18.7% on the previous year. Aquaculture, in turn, covers the production of a variety of species, including several types of fish, prawns, crabs and lobsters, concentrated mainly in the provinces of Tete, Gaza and Maputo.
However, the country's fisheries production faced significant challenges in 2023, owing to extreme weather events, such as excessive rains that caused flooding in Maputo and the devastating passage of Cyclone Freddy. The latter severely affected the south, especially Inhambane province, and later the central and northern regions, with a particular impact on Zambézia province. These events resulted in the destruction of infrastructure crucial to artisanal fishing and aquaculture, including the loss of 708 vessels, 3,446 items of fishing gear, 422 tanks and 137 aquaculture cages, as well as 210,050 fingerlings.
