The Fisheries Industry in the district provides employment and income for the local people and is a vital source of both nutritious and cheap protein. Mkuranga has about 90 kilometers of coastline, extending from the Temeke to the Rufiji districts. Like much of coastal Tanzania, the district is endowed with coral reefs, mangrove forests, and coastal fisheries. There are seven coastal villages where fishing is dominant activities: Shungubweni, Mpafu, Kerekese, Kisiju, Pwani, Mdimni, Magawa, and Kifumangao and several near-shore islands, hosting the Boza, Kuruti, Kwale, and Koma villages. This has resulted Mkuranga to have several areas that are attractive for fishing. The district has ten official fisheries landing sites, the largest being in Kisiju Pwani. This is the only place where fish landings are recorded. Fishing is carried out on subsistence basis by artisanal fisherman who land about 98% of the total catches of the district. Fishing activities concentrate inshore shallow waters due to limited range of the fishing vessels and craft
A fisheries sector is still affected by low productivity caused by a combination of factors mainly being the use of traditional technologies and methods, and unreliable markets.Conflicts between industrial and artisanal fishers are common in Mkuranga. Artisanal fishers feel that the industrial fishers do not adhere to the established rules related to fishing grounds, gears, and timetables. For example, industrial vessels have broken rules by fishing in shallow water at night and dumping fish remains into the sea. As a result artisanal fishing gear has been damaged, stocks have been overfished, the fish harvest has declined, and the breeding grounds destroyed.
