Dolphin tourism and community participation in Kizimkazi village, Zanzibar
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Dolphin tourism and community participation in
Kizimkazi village, Zanzibar
O.A. Amir and N.S. Jiddawi
Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 668, Zanzibar, Tanzania
ABSTRACT
About 10 species of dolphins are found in the western Indian Ocean, of
which only three—the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), the Indo-Pacific
humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) and the spinner dolphin (Stenella
longirostris)—have been observed in Zanzibar waters. The first two are
commonly seen at Kizimkazi, which is the most popular site for dolphin tours.
Marine mammals are increasingly valued by society for their intrinsic qualities
rather than their harvestable economic worth and the villagers of Kizimkazi
have started to realise this potential as well. Previously dolphins were used
as bait for sharks. However, about 7 years ago the local fishermen realised
that their touristic value far exceeded that of using them as bait. As many as
2000 tourists visit the dolphin site at Kizimkazi per month, for an average of
US$ 20 per trip per boat and dolphin tourism is currently becoming an
important economic activity. However, the community complains that they do
not see its benefit as most of it goes to the urban area. Successful
management of the dolphin tourism will ensure that tourists continue to visit
the villages with dolphins and thus bring them income while contributing to
management and conservation. This paper elaborates on the Kizimkazi village
perspective on dolphin tourism and proposes ways in which to involve the
community so that it is able to benefit from the activity and at the same time
conserve the dolphins.
INTRODUCTION
Dolphins are the most common cetaceans inhabiting Tanzanian waters. There are about
32 species of oceanic dolphins worldwide (Jefferson et al., 1993). About 10 species are
found in the western Indian Ocean (Guissamulo, 1997). In Tanzania only four of these
have so far been observed through various studies and through personal observations.
However, until now only three have been observed in Zanzibar waters. The bottlenose
dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis)
have been observed in Menai Bay, southwest of Unguja island (Stensland et al., 1998;
Todesco, 1999) and the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), together with bottlenose
551dolphin in the north of Unguja island, along the villages of Nungwi and Matemwe (Ortland,
1997). It is also possible, though rare to see groups of 4–12 bottlenose dolphins in the
vicinity of the harbour area in Zanzibar town (Jiddawi, pers. observ.). Along the coast of
Tanzania mainland Chande et al. (1994) also observed three species—Tursiops truncatus,
Stenella longirostris and Steno bredanensis—during a survey conducted along Mtwara,
Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo and Tanga. The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis
is considered rare and possibly endangered throughout its range in the Indian and western
Pacific oceans (Perrin, 1992).
Although dolphins seem to be fairly common in the waters around Tanzania, their
biology, ecology and distribution is poorly understood. It is known however, that the
bottlenose dolphin and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin tend to prefer the coastal and inshore
areas around Zanzibar (Depres, 1998; Stensland et al., 1998; Ortland, 1997), while spinner
dolphins are usually found in slightly deeper water farther from the shore (Ortland, 1997).
In Zanzibar, the Menai Bay appears to be the stronghold of the Zanzibar dolphin population
(Stensland et al., 1998). Off Kizimkazi, bottlenose and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins
can be found throughout the year (Kizimkazi fishermen, pers. commun.). During daytime,
they frequently come close to the shore to socialise, rest and feed (Amir, pers. observ.).
Also the frequent sightings of calves around Menai Bay may indicate that the area is an
important breeding ground for dolphins (Stensland et al., 1998).
The values which humans can derive from the marine mammals fall mainly into two
categories: the consumptive ones in which the value derived is almost directly proportional
to the number of animals killed, and the non-consumptive ones derived from animals
living freely in their natural environment. There is also a category of low-consumptive
values which involve taking of only a small number of animals for their realisation (UNEP,
1985).
Generally marine mammals are increasingly valued by society for their intrinsic qualities
rather than their harvestable economic worth, as has been realised by the villagers of
Kizimkazi (Jiddawi, 1998). Dolphins are naturally very sociable animals and it is because
of this nature that many visitors pay considerable sums of money to watch their behaviour
or even to play with them in their natural environment (Jiddawi, 1997). They are popular
for their frequency of interaction with humans (Guissamulo and Cockroft, 1997).
However, the well-being of marine mammals and sometimes their very survival are
threatened by a variety of human activities. It is noteworthy that increasing fishing activity
may cause a decline of mammal populations as a result both of the depletion of species
on which the animals prey and the increase in their incidental, often unintentional killing,
which occurs most often when the animals get entangled in nets and other fishing gear. It
is also noteworthy that an important aspect of the problem arises from public interest in
marine mammals, e.g. from dolphin watching. This is probably most significant where the
populations are subjected to possible disturbance within their breeding grounds (UNEP,
1985).
552Historically, bottlenose and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins have lived with low boat
traffic mainly fishing boats, for many years in the Menai Bay. Over the last seven years
however, Kizimkazi has experienced an increase in boating activity both for fishing and
tourism (Kizimkazi fishermen, pers. commun.) which is feared to create a negative impact
on the dolphins.
This report briefly summaries the main findings of the survey on community
perception on the dolphin tourism conducted at Kizimkazi-Mkunguni. The survey was
conducted in April 1999 in order to determine the current status of the business, the
prevalent problems and the possible management and conservation approaches that
could be implemented by the villagers as well as promoting a community-based
management system through a programme of research and extension.
Objectives
The objectives of this survey were:
– To determine the extent of knowledge on the dolphins and their uses;
– To identify aspects of the management and conservation of dolphins;
– To identify the extent of interaction between the dolphins with tourism and fisheries;
– To examine the prospects of dolphin tourism to the community; and
– To identify socioeconomic implications of dolphin tourism.
METHODS
Study site
The study was carried out in Mkunguni village, one of the two villages of Kizimkazi
which is a small fishing village located on the southwest coast of Unguja island, about
40km from Zanzibar town (Figure 1). The other village is Dimbani. The two villages are
about 3km apart. The estimated population of both villages for 1999 is about 2961, in
which Mkunguni has 1779 and Dimbani 1182 people (Sheha, pers. commun.).
The vast majority of the men in Kizimkazi are fishermen, carrying out some of
their fishing activities in Menai Bay (Figure 1). Hence fishing is the main source of
livelihood for most households. Nowadays some of the fishermen, especially young
men, are involved in the tourist industry as well. Thus besides fishing, they also take
tourists to watch dolphins on a daily or seasonal basis. Most women and some men are
involved in smallscale agriculture, with cassava, bananas, beans, pawpaws, yams, and
sugarcane as the primary crops. A few of the women are engaged in rope-making and
fishing along the intertidal area.
Data collection
Information was gathered through interviews, group discussions, observation and
anecdotal sources. About 40 villagers (including the local head of village (‘sheha’) and his
committee, hoteliers, teachers, fishermen and women, tour guides and boat operators)
were interviewed at Mkunguni village. Data collected included: the occurrence and identity
553Figure 1. Location of the two Kizimkazi villages and Menai Bay, in Zanzibar
554of dolphins in Menai Bay, the extent of dolphin fisheries and dolphin-tourism interactions
and their impacts, historical background, information on the dolphin tourism management
and conservation, a possibility of initiating sound management of dolphin tourism and
how the community could achieve benefits from dolphin tourism.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Dolphins identified by local fishermen and their uses
Fishermen mentioned three species of dolphins occurring in Kizimkazi water. The
identification of species was verified through answers to questions on behaviour, body
colour, size of individuals and group size. According to descriptions, there are black dolphins
that are big in size (i.e. bottlenose) and white dolphins with a hump on their back (i.e.
Indo-Pacific humpback). The fishermen also indicated the occurrence in distant offshore
waters of Menai Bay, of huge groups of small dolphins which spin and jump a lot (which
could possibly be spinner dolphins).
It is known that spinner dolphins tend to prefer offshore waters or slightly deeper
waters farther from the shore (Koch,1998; Ortland, 1997). It is also known that this
species jump and spin and travel in groups of up to 200 or more individuals (Leatherwood
and Reeves, 1983). The fishermen were not aware of the breeding periodicity or the
dolphins life span. However, preliminary photo-identification analysis carried out in
Menai Bay indicates that individuals are resident in this area, at least within one season
(Stensland and Berggren, in prep.). In the Algoa Bay region of South Africa, mating and
births occur throughout the year, but there is a peak of births in the summer months
(Karczmarski and Cockcroft, 1997). Whether dolphins breed in Menai Bay or leave to
breed elsewhere then return to feed and nurse their calves in this area needs
investigation.
Uses of dolphins
The fishermen informed us that they were originally using dolphin meat as shark bait
as well as food. They said that dolphin meat is preferred by most fishermen as shark
bait due to its strong odour which attracts sharks from a distance. They also said that
dolphin gut and blubber are used as waterproofing material (locally known as ‘sifa’) for
boats. Hence dolphins were previously caught deliberately. For example, 23 dolphins
were caught in 1996 by fishermen from Kizimkazi-Dimbani for use as shark bait (Abuu
Kandimu, Kizimkazi-Mkunguni, pers. commun.). After realising the benefits from dolphin
tourism they have stopped catching them. They also said that because dolphin meat
contains a lot of blood, it is not preferred for food. Nowadays they use dolphins only as
a tourist attraction.
History of dolphin tourism and its socioeconomic implications
According to Mr Abass Khalfan, a businessman who owns a guesthouse at Mkunguni
and Mr Khamis Shaaban, a boat operator, tourism started in Kizimkazi in 1989 after the
555trade liberalisation in 1987 by the Zanzibar Government. Tourists were taken out in outrigger
canoes (‘ngalawa’) to snorkel on coastal reefs. Commercial tours to view and swim with
dolphins however, began in 1992. The development of this activity led to the introduction
of the motor boats that generated more money both in fishing and tourism especially at
Mkunguni village. The increase in boats reached its peak in the last two years especially
when the neighbouring village Dimbani joined in the trade.
More people, especially young men, joined the business, increasing the number
of boats going to view dolphins. Some of these boats belong to the residents of the
village and others belong to few residents of Zanzibar Town, who rent them to young men
in Kizimkazi. There are now about 20 boats for dolphin tourism operating at Mkunguni and
15 boats at Dimbani. At Kizimkazi-Mkunguni about 10 boats are owned by villagers and 10
are owned by middlemen from the town.
Although the community is the basis of all activities, not all villagers benefit from
dolphin tourism. They claimed that the benefits from dolphin tourism go to very few
individuals, especially the tourist boat operators and few young men and women who
provide services to the hotels. For example, in Mkunguni there are four restaurants and
three hotels while Dimbani has only one restaurant but no hotels. That is to say, there
is no economic benefit to the village as a whole.
Most women feel dissatisfied with their participation in dolphin tourism. They
claimed that they do not realise any benefit from dolphin tourism at all. They said that
their income has been tremendously reduced because they used to fish in the same
areas where the dolphin boats now anchor or are now pathways for tourists going to
view the dolphins, which has displaced them from using their traditional fishing spots.
Management and conservation aspects
The boat operators informed us that there are no management measures which control
and regulate the activities of those involved in the dolphin tourism. For example, they
said that there is no regulation which controls the number of boats around a pod of
dolphins, no control of the boats over their movement and behaviour around dolphins
and there is also no control on how to handle the boats or tourists once they have seen
the dolphins. According to them, when the dolphin tourism expanded, they tried to
initiate some management measures. However, those measures were informal and
were done in collaboration with the local development committee under the leadership
of local village leader (‘sheha’), but did not last long. Among the measures initiated were:
fixing a common price and routine for all boats taking tourists to view dolphins and prohibiting
the killing of dolphins in Kizimkazi waters for any purpose.
So far there is no provision in the Fisheries Act No. 8 of 1988 and Fisheries
Regulations of 1990 to protect, conserve and manage the dolphins and regulate the
dolphin-watching in Zanzibar in such a way as to prevent adverse effects on and
interference with dolphins. Community-based ecotourism (such as dolphin tourism where
the community benefits directly from tourists visiting an area and the money spent,
rather than indirectly through a hotel, etc.), is one way of increasing the value of
556natural resources to local communities. It may also prevent the exploitation of the resource
by only one section of the community and could lead the Kizimkazi community, as a whole,
finding the best possible solution of using this common property.
Impacts of tourism and fishing on dolphins
There is currently no evidence that the present level of disturbance causes stress on
dolphins in the Menai Bay. However, the number of boats taking tourists to view dolphins
is increasing and there is no legislative control. Considering the apparent importance of
Menai Bay to the dolphins, the potential for increased disturbance, through an increase
in tourism to the area, is cause for concern.
Dolphin watching is widely regarded as a sustainable non-consumptive alternative
to the direct exploitation of cetaceans. However, uncontrolled dolphin watching could
potentially threaten dolphin populations (Stensland et al., 1998). Meanwhile, dolphins
that are forced to spend a great deal of time and energy avoiding boats may end up
with reduced biological fitness as a consequence of the disruption of critical energy
budgets.
Long-term effects of encounters of longer than 70 minutes a day may, for example,
reduce breeding success, feeding activity and resting opportunity (Bejder and Dawson,
1998). If dolphin watching modifies dolphin movements or behaviour in ways that are
biologically important, having boats accompany dolphins for such a high proportion of
the time increases the risk of adverse effects such as dolphins leaving the area, avoiding
boats or becoming aggressive towards swimmers (Barr and Slooten, 1998).
The fishermen claimed that fishing activities using nets do not cause any problem
at all on dolphins. They said that in the last 5 years possibly only one or two dolphins
have been caught accidentally and these were very tiny and could possibly have been
calves. They believe that dolphins are intelligent animals and that they are able to see
the net and escape away from it, which reduces by-catch of dolphins in their nets.
In a study conducted at Matemwe and Kizimkazi between 1995 and 1998 only
two dolphins were observed landed at Mkokotoni fish market. Both individuals were
small ones (less than a metre long) and from the colour they were identified possibly
as bottlenose dolphin (Hamadi, pers. commun.; Jiddawi and Stanley, 1997). However,
Chande et al. (1994) in a study conducted between January to November 1993, observed
19 incidental killings of dolphins in Dar es Salaam (2), Bagamoyo (4), Mtwara (5), and
Tanga (8) and 14 intentional killings at Mtwara. Further investigation on this needs to
be conducted to verify if the problem exists. Many fishermen are reluctant to address
the issue, either by claiming that there is no by-catch or even to report accidental
catches (Northridge, 1996).
Prospects for dolphin tourism
Tourism is an expanding industry in Zanzibar and most tourists pay a visit to Kizimkazi
because of the presence of dolphins. In 1998 about 86,000 tourists paid a visit to
Zanzibar. In the year 2000 over 100,000 tourists are expected to come to Zanzibar.
557Hence, the presence of dolphins near Kizimkazi water offers opportunities for further
development of dolphin tourism and could be a major source of income. Appropriate
technologies that utilise locally available materials should be introduced in order to
make the operations affordable and to promote dolphin tourism. This could create new
employment opportunities, especially for women, which could improve the economic
and social status of the community.
The people of Kizimkazi village also need training and capital for initiating small
enterprises and for leasing boats and other equipment. Easy access to credit could
encourage people to take part in dolphin tourism operations.
Major constraints to the expansion of dolphin tourism
Lack of initial capital
Most of the villagers do not have enough money to buy their own boats. For example,
buying a boat to take tourists out is an extremely expensive process for fishermen in
Kizimkazi, as one boat could cost up to TSh. 3 million (US$ 2500).
Lack of community power
Interviewees claimed that the community has less power to regulate access and use of
resources in their areas for their social and economic development. For example, the
income-generating scheme of collecting TSh. 500 per car entering the village for
community development has assisted in building a dispensary and a fish market, bought
medicine for their dispensary, supported local festivals, e.g. ‘maulid’ and supported
school camps. The South District Commissioner for unknown reasons later stopped
this scheme.
Lack of technical know-how in tourism
The lack of a tourism policy for Kizimkazi village leaves many issues pertinent to tourism
vaguely addressed, such as scale of development, approach, and role of private sector.
Consequently, things have been developing haphazardly with dire impact on dolphins.
For example, boat operators claimed that nowadays they do not benefit from the
dolphin tourism due to the reduction in the price charged. Initially the price was TSh
20,000 to 25,000 per boat, but it is now TSh. 10,000 to 12,000 or as little as 5,000, out of
which they have to pay 15% revenue, 1.5% stamp duty, TSh. 1500 licence/year and TSh.
5000 for petrol.
Lack of awareness
There is in general a lack of awareness on dolphins of Zanzibar. Many people seem to be
unaware that dolphins can be used as resources for the social and economic development
of the community as a whole.
558CONCLUSION
Dolphin tourism at Kizimkazi could be very successful. We are hopeful that with careful
management it could be sustainable, and will have educational and conservation as
well as social and economic benefits.
Economic opportunities in the villages of Kizimkazi are limited. Because of their
poor economic situation, the people need more attention and help from both the
government and non-governmental organisations. The utilisation of dolphins for dolphin
tourism could mitigate the economic situation of Kizimkazi people and improve their
economic status. A partnership between the local government and NGOs could accelerate
the development of dolphin-tourism in Kizimkazi villages.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations are made:
– To enact laws and regulations to govern the management and conservation of
dolphins and provide a legal basis for the establishment of community-based
management programmes.
– To incorporate within the legislation mechanisms for the community to share
benefits from participation in management.
– To encourage public participation and community resource management to assist
in law enforcement.
– To introduce regulations and rules that will govern dolphin watching and ensure
that those regulations are followed.
– To conduct thorough studies on dolphin watching and fisheries activities and to
identify means of reducing any adverse impacts that may be affecting the dolphin
populations of Menai Bay.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to express our gratitude to Prof. Anthony B. Dickinson, Director of Project
Operations, International Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada; Kiponda
Hotel, Serena Hotel and Emerson Green and Travel, all of which contributed funding for
this preliminary survey; and Eco Tours and Travel without whose help the travel and
logistical arrangements would have been impossible.
We would also like to thank the following for their kind cooperation: Daudi S.
Mukaka from Institute of Marine Sciences, Wahida M. Mohammed from Ministry of
State, Women and Children Affairs, Makame V. Simai and Major Jecha from Ministry of
State, Regional Administration, Local Government and Special Units, Shara A. Khamis,
Salma A. Ali and Gladness Msami from CONSDEPZA and Mgeni H. Nassor from South
District Commissioner’s Office.
Finally, many thanks go to all the Kizimkazi villagers, who participated in the
interview and contributed a lot of information, for their time and assistance.
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