Fisheries

Fishing and fish processing in São Tomé: opportunities for investors

EMEuclides MartinsCEO, MARSF Serviços · 13+ years of experience·4 November 2026·3 min read

São Tomé and Príncipe is a small country with a big sea. Its maritime zone is hundreds of times larger than its land, yet almost all local fishing is artisanal and there is hardly any cold storage or processing. This is where the gap between potential and reality is most visible today.

The sector in figures

Indicator	Value
Exclusive economic zone	about 160,000 km²
Local fleet catch	grew from 4,000 to 12,000 t in 2005–2017
Value of the catch	about $30 million a year
Estimated potential	about 29,000 t a year
EU agreement (2025–2029 protocol)	up to 6,500 t of tuna a year
EU payments to São Tomé	€825,000 a year, of which €500,000 for sector development

Sources: trade.gov, European Commission, FAO FISH4ACP.

Local fishing is mostly done by artisanal boats catching small pelagic fish close to shore. Tuna on the high seas is caught mainly by licensed foreign vessels, and the fish leaves the country unprocessed.

What the sector lacks

Cold chain. There is little ice, freezer capacity or refrigerated transport, and part of the catch spoils the same day.
Processing. Almost no filleting, freezing or packaging to export-market standards.
Semi-industrial fleet. Local boats do not go far out to sea.
Distribution. Hotels, restaurants and shops need a steady supply of chilled fish.

Investment niches

Cold chain: ice machines and freezer stores in fishing villages — the quickest start on a modest budget.
Processing and freezing for the domestic market and for export to neighbouring countries (Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Angola).
Aquaculture — for example, tilapia for the local market.
Semi-industrial vessels for fishing within the zone.
Fish supply to hotels and restaurants — demand grows with tourism (see our article on the tourism business).

The EU agreement: what it means for private investors

The new protocol to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) has applied since 6 October 2025 and runs until 2029. Of the €825,000 paid each year, €500,000 goes to supporting the sector: infrastructure, monitoring and artisanal fishing. For an investor, this means the state is interested in private cold-storage and processing projects, and a partnership with it can be built.

Licences and permits

Fishing licences are issued by the state through the relevant ministry. Semi-industrial and industrial fishing almost always requires a local representative and approvals, and sometimes a partner from São Tomé — without local support, a licence is practically impossible to obtain.
A processing plant must meet sanitary requirements, and exports need certificates.
Registering an investment project brings an import duty exemption on equipment and other incentives — see our article on taxes. Export documents are covered in our export article.

MARSF handles the licence end to end: choosing the type (artisanal, commercial or foreign vessel, industrial fleet), preparing documents, negotiations, coordination with maritime and border services, renewal and reporting.

Risks

Unstable power supply — cold storage needs generators or solar plants.
Seasonal catches and weather dependence.
Expensive logistics and few shipping lines.
When working with artisanal fishers, trust and fair purchase prices matter.

About the author

Euclides Martins is the CEO of MARSF Serviços, with more than 13 years of experience in São Tomé and Príncipe. He previously served as Lead Communications Specialist at the national implementation unit of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (Quadro Integrado Reforçado, the WTO-linked Aid for Trade programme), where he was also responsible for liaison with the Government of São Tomé and Príncipe.

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