WIOMSA Newsbrief

Abstract

Coelacanth has, for the first time, been found to occur off the Tanzanian coast. On the 9 September 2003, Coelacanth was caught by a fisher off Songo Mnara Island in Kilwa. The fish was caught in a net at a depth of 100m, which is only a few hundred meters from shore. The coelacanth, 132cm long and weighing 40 kilogrammes, was first kept at the Marine Parks and Reserves Unit in Dar es Salaam for processing before it is preserved and put on display at the National Museum in Dar es Salaam for public viewing. No coelacanth had ever before been recorded in Tanzanian African waters, so this was a very good find. And it came only few weeks after the Tanzanian Government through its National Coelacanth Committee hosted a research and training ship MV FRS ALGOA at the Dar es Salaam port. The cruise was organized and coordinated by the Joint Coelacanth Research and Marine Conservation Programme. The ship was on Dar es Salaam from 27-29 July 2003.