Africa-Press – Liberia. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN-FAO) in collaboration with the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) on Tuesday 15 February 2022 commenced a four-day interagency capacity building and awareness raising workshop on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in Liberia. The interagency workshop on capacity building and awareness raising on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing targets major actors/stakeholders in the fisheries sector that are responsible for monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing activities in every water sources of the Republic Liberia.
Speaking on behalf of the FAO Representative at the openings session at the Golden Key Hotel in Monrovia, the Officer in Charge whom is the substantive Policy Officer, Mehnaz Ajamal expressed profound delight in what she describes as long standing partnership that continues to exist between FAO and NaFAA, especially in enhancing a functioning Fisheries Monitoring Center (FMC) Division that has been working as key facilitator in all FAO Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) trainings.
‘’NaFAA’s FMC has been working tirelessly in ensuring the Fisheries Sector Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) for compliance and thus remains vibrant, productive and sustainable. MCS activities in every FAO Post States Measure Agreement (PSMA) is meant for strict compliance by actors in the fisheries sector’’, said the FAO OIC, Mehnaz Ajamal.
Madam Ajamal however pointed out that, the fisheries sector is still hugely challenged by Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fisheries, which poses serious threat to Marine Aquatic lives and places the fisheries sector at a huge lost in revenue generation and needed protein nutrients in Liberia in particular, Africa and other parts of the globe. IUU fishing activities is becoming one of the most lucrative business practices by industrial vessels and locals globally. “Therefore the urgency for concerted interagency collaboration to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Liberia’’ emphasized the FAO OIC.
Citing related fisheries laws and policies of the sector in Liberia, the then Bureau of National Fisheries (BNF) 2010 Rules and Regulations, NaFAA 2017 Fisheries Law and the 2019 Amended Fisheries Law of Liberia placed all legal industrial trawlers to fishing from six nautical miles onward within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) within the marine territorial waters of Liberia while Semi-Industrial and small-scales canoes are given rights to fishing within the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) of the Marine water. This took into keen consideration that the Semi-Industrial and small-scale vessels capacities pose little and/or no threat to fish stocked. As per regulations of the fisheries sector, some areas of the IEZ are also used as Marine Protected Areas (MPA). MPAs within this environment are used for aquatic lives breeding and replenishment.
Lead Facilitator who doubles as a Senior Consultant – Official, Fisheries Global and Regional Processes Team FAO, Glenn David Quelch says fishing and fishing –related activities conducted in contravention of national and international law, including other international obligations, non-reporting, misreporting or under-reporting of information operations and their catches, fishing in convention areas, fishing activities which are not regulated by states in convention areas and fishing in areas for fish stocks without convention or management measures constitute illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The lead facilitator therefore emphasized the importance for Liberia as a country to be able to undertake Monitoring, Control and Surveillance operations to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities. Addressing IUU Fishing
In his presentation on PSMA and associated international instruments and mechanism, the Consultant admonished participants that addressing IUU starts with sound fisheries management that guarantees the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources. ‘’IUU fishing occurs in all types of fisheries and in all waters everywhere. Therefore poses a serious threat to marine ecosystem and undermines efforts to manage fisheries sustainably and conserve marine biodiversity. It also threatens livelihoods of fishers and other stakeholders and exacerbates malnutrition, poverty and food insecurity’’ warned Glenn David Quelch. He therefore urged Liberia as a Flag State, to enforce the principles of the voluntary guidelines to regulate the sector and. He added strong political will and concerted actions including and through the RFMO by flag states, port states, coaster states and market states to combatting IUU.
Abraham N. Saah, is the Supervisor for Fisheries Monitoring Centre (MSC) at the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA). In his presentation of MSC activities, issues and challenges, be stressed the need for interagency collaborative measures in enhancing effective Monitoring Control and Surveillance. The agencies involved include Ministries of Defense, Justices, and the National Port Authority, NaFAA, Environmental Justice Foundation and other international partners. The training continues under the project titled: Livelihood Empowerment for Women in Small-scale Fisheries during and after Covid-19 with funding from the People of Japan.
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