Policy Brief on the Status of No-Take Fisheries Replenishment Zones (FRZs) in Tanzania

This policy brief was prepared under the auspices of the USAID Heshimu Bahari Activity, 2022-27. The aim of the Activity is to strengthen marine protected area (MPA) and fisheries co-management area networks in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, thereby enhancing marine biodiversity conservation, ecological resilience to climate change and coastal livelihoods and food security. USAID Heshimu Bahari is implemented by Chemonics International, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in close partnership with government partner institutions including the Ministry of Livestock & Fisheries (MLF) in Tanzania Mainland and the Ministry of Blue Economy & Fisheries (MoBEF) in Zanzibar, as well as a range of community, civil society and private sector stakeholders in coastal areas. A particular focus of USAID Heshimu Bahari is to highlight the role that fisheries replenishment zones (FRZs) play in optimizing sustainable artisanal fisheries production, and to strengthen their effectiveness across the range of MPA governance regimes and contexts in Tanzania. This policy brief is a preliminary contribution to a collective effort on that topic.