On 9 September 2026, I had the privilege, in my capacity as Legal Consultant to the Tanzania Organisation of Marine Exporters (TAOME) and an expert in International Trade and Maritime Law, of addressing TAOME’s Emergency General Meeting at SawaSawa Bay Hotel, Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam.

The meeting brought together marine exporters, processors and other industry stakeholders to examine the legal, regulatory and commercial challenges affecting Tanzania’s trade in fish and aquatic products.

The discussions were open, constructive and focused on solutions.

One central message emerged:

Tanzania can protect its marine resources while building a competitive, sustainable and investment-friendly export industry.

Tanzania’s Marine Export Opportunity

Tanzania’s fisheries sector already makes a measurable contribution to the national economy.

Available sector figures indicate that fish exports increased from approximately TZS 97.03 billion in 2023 to TZS 180.6 billion in 2024—an increase of about 86.2%. The wider fisheries sector contributes nearly 2% of Tanzania’s GDP and supports millions of people through fishing, processing, transportation, trading and related activities.

Within this wider economy, high-value marine products such as octopus, crabs, lobsters and marine fish create significant opportunities for:

* Export earnings and foreign-exchange generation;
* Employment and livelihoods in coastal communities;
* Investment in processing facilities and cold-chain infrastructure;
* Government revenue through taxes, licences and export charges;
* Regional and international trade; and
* Sustainable growth of Tanzania’s Blue Economy.

These figures demonstrate that marine-products trade is not a peripheral activity. It forms part of a commercially important value chain capable of attracting investment, creating employment and expanding Tanzania’s participation in international markets.

Realising its full potential will require close cooperation among the Government, fishing communities, processors, exporters, investors and regulatory institutions.

It will also require a regulatory framework that protects marine resources while enabling legitimate businesses to operate efficiently and compete internationally.

From Business Complaints to Evidence-Based Advocacy

TAOME members have raised several challenges affecting their operations, including:

* Minimum-size requirements for certain marine products, particularly the current 450-gram threshold for certain crabs and the proposal to review it to 300 grams;
* Financial penalties and enforcement procedures;
* Multiple fees, charges and payments;
* Repeated inspections of the same consignments;
* Licensing and export-registration delays;
* Difficulties in accessing international markets, including China; and
* Competition between compliant businesses and informal market operators.

These are not fisheries matters alone.

They involve law, international trade, taxation, investment, logistics, environmental sustainability, administrative fairness and access to global markets.

Working with TAOME, our role at ARIK Law Attorneys was not merely to compile a list of grievances. It was to transform the experiences of members into a structured regulatory case supported by law, documentary evidence and practical recommendations.

The process involved examining government bills, payment receipts, bank records, seizure forms, compounding documents, licences, permits, company records and other official materials.

In some cases, we were able to establish a complete evidentiary chain:

Enforcement action → Government bill → Control number → Payment → Commercial impact

This distinction matters.

There is a significant difference between saying:

“Our members are experiencing difficulties,”

and demonstrating:

“This is what happened. This is the legal action taken. This is the amount demanded and paid. This is the supporting evidence. And this is how the action affected the business.”

When a complaint is supported by evidence, grounded in law and accompanied by a practical solution, it becomes a credible foundation for meaningful regulatory engagement.

A Serious Concern from the Octopus Industry

One of the most notable contributions during the meeting came from a participant involved in octopus processing and export.

The participant explained that local processors have invested substantially in processing facilities and related infrastructure in Tanzania, yet some are reportedly operating at less than 20% of their production capacity.

It was also alleged that a substantial quantity of octopus may be leaving Tanzania informally through the Tanga–Kenya border for onward trade through Mombasa.

According to estimates presented during the meeting, Tanzania may produce more than 3,000 tonnes of octopus annually, with a considerable portion allegedly moving through informal cross-border channels.

These estimates and allegations require verification through official data and coordinated investigation. Nevertheless, the concern deserves serious attention because it highlights three possible consequences.

Loss of public revenue: Informal trade may deprive Tanzania of taxes, export levies and foreign-exchange earnings.

Risk to marine sustainability: Products traded outside regulated systems may escape closed seasons, minimum-size requirements and other conservation controls.

Pressure on legitimate investors: Local processors and exporters who invest in facilities, employ Tanzanians, pay taxes and comply with regulations may face unfair competition.

Cross-border trade is not itself the problem. Lawful regional trade is an important part of East African economic integration.

The concern is whether marine products are moving through legal, traceable and properly regulated channels.

Formal cross-border trade can generate revenue, expand markets and strengthen regional commercial relationships. Informal and untraceable trade may instead weaken conservation efforts, reduce public revenue and discourage legitimate investment.

The discussion therefore highlighted an important regulatory principle:

Enforcement should not concentrate only on businesses that are visible and compliant. It must also address unlawful conduct throughout the value chain and across national borders.

A system that heavily regulates legitimate investors while informal operators escape equivalent scrutiny may unintentionally make compliance expensive and non-compliance commercially attractive.

That outcome would neither promote fair competition nor protect Tanzania’s marine resources.

Conservation and Business Are Not Opposing Goals

Tanzania has both the right and responsibility to protect its fisheries and marine resources. Conservation is essential to the future of the Blue Economy.

At the same time, legitimate businesses require regulatory clarity, proportionate enforcement and predictable administrative procedures.

These objectives are not contradictory.

The answer is not the absence of regulation. It is better regulation—regulation that is scientifically informed, proportionate, transparent, coordinated and responsive to commercial realities.

Better regulation should protect marine resources while enabling legitimate businesses to invest, create employment, add value locally and compete in international markets.

From Mikocheni to Dodoma

Before the meeting, TAOME had already taken an important step.

On 28 August 2026, TAOME’s regulatory-reform paper was formally received in Dodoma by:

* The Prime Minister’s Office;
* The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries; and
* The Ministry of Industry and Trade.

This marked an important transition.

The challenges raised by TAOME members are no longer confined to private conversations or WhatsApp groups. They have been documented, examined against the applicable legal and policy framework, supported by available evidence and presented with practical recommendations to the relevant Government institutions.

The paper does not seek to weaken the protection of Tanzania’s fisheries resources. It seeks to strengthen the regulatory system by ensuring that conservation, enforcement, investment and international competitiveness are considered together.

From Discussion to Action

The Emergency General Meeting did not end with a list of problems. Members adopted a clear and constructive direction for reform.

Their priority resolutions can be summarised under three broad areas.

Proportionate and Evidence-Based Regulation

Members supported a graduated enforcement system that distinguishes between minor administrative breaches, first-time violations and serious or deliberate conduct that threatens fisheries resources.

They also called for stronger traceability throughout the value chain—from the source and collection point to transportation, processing and final export.

An effective traceability system can help regulators identify where a non-compliant product entered the supply chain and direct enforcement towards the person responsible.

The meeting further supported the use of scientific evidence, Regulatory Impact Assessments and meaningful stakeholder consultation when reviewing minimum-size requirements and other major regulations affecting the industry.

Efficient and Predictable Trade Administration

Members proposed a comprehensive review of the fees, charges and payments imposed at different stages of the marine-products trade.

The objective is to identify unnecessary duplication, clarify the legal basis of each charge and make regulatory costs more transparent and predictable.

The meeting also supported:

* A single-window system for regulatory clearances, fees and payments;
* Coordinated and risk-based inspections;
* Greater use of seals and digital inspection records;
* Sharing of inspection information among public authorities; and
* Clear timelines and focal points for export registrations and renewals.

These measures could reduce unnecessary delays, protect the cold chain and enable exporters to deliver perishable products to international markets on time without weakening the Government’s lawful inspection powers.

Government–Industry Cooperation

Members called for a formal Government–Industry Consultative Dialogue involving TAOME, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other relevant institutions, with coordination support from the Prime Minister’s Office.

This is important because many challenges affecting marine exports cut across the responsibilities of more than one ministry or regulatory body.

The Government brings regulatory authority, policy direction and responsibility for protecting public resources.

The industry brings investment, employment, market knowledge and practical experience from every stage of the value chain.

When these perspectives meet at the same table, informed and sustainable solutions become possible.

The meeting also authorised TAOME’s leadership, working with its legal consultant and other professionals, to present the resolutions to the relevant authorities, follow up on the regulatory-reform paper and keep members informed of progress.

A Wider Lesson for Businesses and Industry Associations

The TAOME experience offers a wider lesson for businesses operating in regulated sectors.

Legal advice should not begin only when a dispute reaches court.

When regulations begin affecting licences, inspections, taxation, imports, exports, logistics or access to markets, effective legal counsel can help businesses and industry associations to:

* Understand the applicable law and regulatory powers;
* Organise and assess documentary evidence;
* Measure the commercial effects of regulatory decisions;
* Develop practical legal and policy proposals;
* Engage Government institutions through appropriate channels; and
* Protect compliance, investment and competitiveness.

This is where modern legal practice must connect law with commercial reality.

At ARIK Law Attorneys, our work in International Trade and Maritime Law is founded on that connection. We assist businesses, investors and industry organisations in navigating the point where regulation, ports, logistics, investment and international markets meet.

A Positive Way Forward

The TAOME meeting was not simply a forum for discussing difficulties. It was an opportunity to build a united position, strengthen cooperation and identify practical solutions.

Tanzania possesses the marine resources, geographical position, entrepreneurial capacity and market opportunities necessary to build a successful marine export industry.

The opportunity before us is to establish regulatory systems that protect those resources while encouraging lawful investment, local value addition and fair competition.

The collective position emerging from the meeting can be expressed simply:

Conservation + Effective Enforcement + Lawful Business + Investment + International Competitiveness must advance together.

As I reminded the members:

“We do not need less regulation. We need better regulation.”

Regulation that protects our oceans and future generations.

Regulation that encourages compliance and responsible investment.

Regulation that facilitates lawful regional and international trade.

And regulation that enables Tanzanian businesses to process, employ, export and compete confidently in global markets.

With evidence, constructive dialogue and cooperation, Tanzania can transform today’s regulatory challenges into tomorrow’s Blue Economy opportunities.

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