MOZAMBIQUE announced on Thursday that it plans to radically reduce the number of prawn fishing operators early next year in an attempt to make the industry more efficient and boost exports. Deputy Agriculture and Fisheries minister Izidora Faztudo said that the initiative will aim to reduce the number of prawn boats, cut back on the issue of prawn fishing licenses and implement a concerted drive to commercialise the remaining operators. There are currently 116 valid prawn fishing licences in Mozambique, 67 of which have been issued to large, well-equipped commercial operators. The rest are held by smaller family or village subsistence fishermen.