User talk:Eric Allard Zanzibar

Hi there,

We have discovered some discrepancies in the information under Blue water spearfishing.

Tanzania has been removed as a notable hot spot as spearfishing is illegal according to the laws and regulations of both Tanzania and Zanzibar.[citation needed]

Although spearfishing is still prohibited in mainland Tanzania, it is allowed sports spearfishing in Zanzibar. Please find the reference article below.

Tanzania is the short name for the United Republic of Tanzania. Tanzania is the name given to the union between previously independent Peoples’ Republic of Zanzibar (now also known as The Isles) and Republic of Tanganyika (now also known as The Mainland or Mainland Tanzania). This union happened in 1964 when the presidents for the two sovereign countries signed the union agreement.

Although Tanzania now has a centralized ‘Union’ government system, the two also maintain semi-autonomous governments. Fisheries resources are among those matters not ruled by the union government.

Therefore, to this day both Zanzibar and Tanganyika maintain separate Fisheries Departments that govern their Internal Waters (Internal Waters of Mainland Tanzania and Internal Waters of Zanzibar) and the Territorial Sea, while they jointly govern the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) waters of Tanzania.

To this day, as per the Fisheries Acts of both Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania, spearfishing using a harpoon gun or spear gun remains illegal in all of The United Republic of Tanzania. However, there are some important differences in interpretation of the two Acts Zanzibar

Through further interpretation and clarification (from the Department of Fisheries Development, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Zanzibar) of the Fisheries Act 2010 of Zanzibar, the regulation specifically bans the use of spear or harpoon guns to spear fish for commercial gain. In fact, under their game fishing policy of the Fisheries Regulations of 1993, the Zanzibar Government, while acting completely independently from the Mainland Tanzania Government, allows the taking for sport (with no commercial gain from selling fish) of fish using a spear and/or harpoon gun under the following conditions;

1.1.   Any entity must obtain a specific sport spearfishing license from the Department of Fisheries Development, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Zanzibar.

1.2.   Any individual who is not a Tanzanian Citizen or resident must sport spearfish through a registered authorized (by the Zanzibar Government) service provider (sport spearfishing charter operator).

1.3.   As per the Territorial Sea and EEZ Act that binds the sharing agreement between Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania, any fishing license issued by the Government of Zanzibar is valid for use in; •	   1.3.1.     Zanzibar’s Internal Sea. •	   1.3.2.    Tanzania’s Territorial Sea.

Already in October 2010, Our company (OWEA) obtained a Sport Spearfishing License from the Government of Zanzibar. This permit has been renewed Eric Allard Zanzibar (talk) 11:25, 10 August 2015 (UTC)yearly ever since 2010. The permit allows OWEA to run Sport Spearfishing Charters anywhere within Zanzibar’s Internal Waters and Tanzania’s Territorial Sea. These include; •	   1.3.3.    West coasts of Pemba Island and Unguja Island (Zanzibar from the mean low water mar  of any point westward to the half way point to Mainland Tanzania.  These are parrt of Zanzibar’s Internal Waters. •	    1.3.4.    Latham Island, which lies in Tanzania’s Territorial Sea. •	    1.3.5.    East coasts of Mafia Island, Okuza Island, Nyuni Island, and Fanjove Island, from the mean low water mark of any point eastward to 12 nautical miles, where the EEZ starts.  These are part of Tanzania’s Territorial Sea. •	    1.3.6.    East coast of Mainland Tanzania, from Rukira Island on the Kilwa Point (Kilwa Peninsula) to the border of Mozambique, from the mean low water mark of any point eastward to 12 nautical miles, where the EEZ starts.  These coastline is part of Tanzania’s Territorial Sea. •	IMPORTANT NOTE:  ALL MARINE PROTECTED AREAS (MPA’s) OF ZANZIBAR AND MAINLAND TANZANIA ARE CURRENTLY PROHIBITED AREAS FOR SPORT SPEARFISHING. Read an original copy of the Zanzibar Fisheries Regulations of 1993. Read an official English translation of the main points of the Zanzibar Fisheries Regulations of 1993 pertaining to sport spearfishing Read a copy of the Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone Act of 1989 of The United Republic of Tanzania

On February 4th, 2013, Open Water Extreme Adventures Ltd.’s project for sport spearfishing was approved as a Tourism Project by the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism. See a copy of the Approval Letter. Note that the company project was approved by the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries of Zanzibar already in October 2010.