Every day, about 13,000 small boats cast off from Sierra Leone’s 506km coastline. Fisheries employ 500,000 of the west African nation’s nearly 8 million people, represent 12% of the economy and are the source of 80% of the population’s protein consumption. But a dozen fishermen interviewed by the Guardian say their catch is dwindling rapidly due to sustained overfishing on a large scale. Tombo’s fishing community put the blame squarely on foreign fleets. About 40% of industrial licences are owned by Chinese vessels; though legal, locals say they pay meagre fees for their permits, under-declare their catch and add little to the local economy. Those in Tombo who have protested at the illegal fishing say they face violence from the crews. At the same time, illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing is a huge problem, costing Sierra Leone $50m a year, President Julius Maada Bio said in 2018. Efforts to manage the sector, including the creation of an inshore exclusion zone that prohibits all but subsistence fishing in the six nautical miles closest to shore, installing movement trackers on industrial trawlers and creating community fishing associations to promote sustainability, have so far had limited impact due to policing and funding challenges, according to officials. A month-long ban on industrial fishing in 2019 was criticised as being too short to allow stocks to replenish.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
More Stories
Best Style Moments of Tems
To the World
From ‘The Woman King’ to Netflix’s ‘African Queens’ – How Africa’s History Went Pop
Who is Pretty Yende, the Soprano Performing at King Charles III’s Coronation?
Discover Dakar: From African Art to Rooftop Hangouts and Culinary Gems
Graffiti Now Covers the Walls of Libya’s Ancient City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
When to Visit Malawi
The Beauty about Exploring Africa is that the Continent has a Lot to Offer
Ugandan Kids get Introduced to Irish Dancing Via Online Lessons
Get a Symmetrical Trim at this Kenyan Barber
Standard Bank Hosts Central Bankers to Demonstrate Africa’s Potential to Learn – and Lead
Ghana’s Debt Crisis is Affecting Companies Beyond its Borders