By Dr Atanasio Brito*
MAPUTO, Mozambique | 28 June 2026 (IDN) — Mozambique’s Indian Ocean coastline is 1,500 miles (2,470 kilometres)—as long as the combined coastlines of France and Spain. With three out of five Mozambicans living near the water, fish and fishing play a central role in our diets and incomes—fish supplies 50% of the animal protein we consume. Our famed fish dishes, including camarão (prawns) marinated in garlic, lemon, and peri-peri chilli, are world-renowned.
Yet despite the bounty of the sea, the people of Mozambique face persistent food challenges. An estimated 2.7 million people need urgent assistance because they don’t have enough to eat. Two out of five children under five are malnourished.
Climate change is one culprit. In recent years, drought and cyclones have hit the country, wiping out crops like maise that haven’t bounced back. With El Niño brewing and more cyclones expected, the country is one storm away from another food crisis.
Overfishing and destructive fishing techniques are another cause. They are diminishing fish catches and degrading ecosystems. National data show that fish catch landings and overall catch size are declining, with small-scale fishers reporting that certain species no longer appear in their nets. Overall, artisanal catch has declined nearly 30% over the last 25 years.
Community Fisheries at the Centre
Building the country’s resilience to climate change and overfishing is critical. Fortunately, there is a solution we can tap now: empowering the country’s 563,000 small-scale artisanal farmers who account for 90% of the country’s catch to fish more sustainably.
These fishers anchor the country’s fishing industry. This is not only the case in Mozambique, but across Africa, as the latest report on the state of the world’s fisheries showed. Through trading, drying, processing, transporting, and selling fish, the small-scale fishers’ catch provides coastal families with jobs and incomes. Putting decisions about how these fisheries are managed in the hands of fishers and their communities is key to improving food security across the country.
Since 2020, the government has enshrined in its official fisheries policies legal guidelines for establishing Áreas de Pesca de Gestão Comunitária and Áreas de Recuperação de Recursos, areas along the coast where local fishers have exclusive rights to fish.
Community Fisheries Councils plan and establish no-take reserves within the managed access areas, where fish populations can replenish, undisturbed by human activity. This leads to more fish over time.
To date, there are 32 community-led fisheries across Nampula, Zambézia, and Inhambane, covering approximately 1,700 square kilometres of coastal waters—an area about five times the size of Maputo. More than 100 additional communities are now adopting the model.
Two local fishing communities co-manage the Bembi no-take reserve in Maputo province, for example. The country’s first no-take reserve to be placed under community-led management protects over 3,000 hectares of coastal ocean waters using a simple buoy system.
In Mozambique, strengthening local governance to lead the co-management of local fisheries is critical. By giving communities clear rights, local authorities, and resources to manage fisheries, it’s possible to sustain livelihoods and recover fish populations, creating a virtuous cycle.
Strengthening Local Resilience
However, community councils, no matter how robust, cannot enforce sustainable fishing practices if households are economically insecure and urgently need to feed their families. When cyclones strike or crops fail, reinforcements must be in place to enable community-led fisheries to function seamlessly.
First, the communities need clear rights and representative institutions. The country’s Regulamento da Pesca Marítima (Maritime Fisheries Regulation, REPMAR) does so powerfully by recognising the rights of coastal communities to access, manage, and steward the waters on which they depend.
Second, fishing households need protection against daily economic shocks. With some savings or an alternative income source, a fisher can still afford to feed their families even when a fishing area is designated as no-take. Microinsurance and savings-and-credit groups can help. So can funds to support microenterprises. Right now, more than 2,600 people in Mozambique benefit from these programs, and there is scope for many more to benefit.
A Shared Responsibility
Finally, governance systems are strongest when they reflect the full communities they serve. Fisheries are shaped not only by those who harvest fish, but also by women, youth, fish traders, and others whose livelihoods and food security depend on healthy marine resources. A handful of Community Fisheries Councils already include women.
It’s only when these conditions are in place that communities are better able to steward fisheries, comply with management rules, and protect the ecosystems that sustain food security. It’s about letting communities drive — by first handing them the keys, then making sure they have enough fuel to keep going, and a spare tyre for when the road gets rough.
Food security in Mozambique will ultimately depend not only on what we harvest from the ocean, but on how well we empower communities to govern and protect it.
*Dr Atanasio Brito is the Vice President of Rare, Mozambique. [IDN-InDepthNews]