By Sallieu S. Kanu
Minister of Fisheries, Princess Dugba and team inspecting the consignment.
Leicester Village, Sierra Leone – The Ministry of Fisheries, in collaboration with various partners, is making significant strides towards promoting sustainable management of the country’s fisheries. However, the sector’s potential to bolster the national economy and ensure food security is hindered by several challenges, notably Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, especially within the Artisanal Fisheries Sub-Sector.
In a determined bid to combat these practices, ministry staff recently seized a substantial consignment of juvenile fish illegally caught by fishermen in Tombo, a highly productive fishing community, the Fisheries Ministry said in a statement on Monday. During an unannounced visit to Tombo, Minister of Fisheries Princess Dugba led an operation to intercept and inspect the fish products, gaining firsthand insight into the situation.
Some of the intercepted fish products.
Minister Dugba took the opportunity to educate fishmongers about the importance of the upcoming Closed Season, expressing deep concern and dismay over the destructive impact of illegal fishing. She described such practices as “unacceptable and destructive,” emphasizing their threat to the country’s rich fisheries and marine ecosystem.
Highlighting the ministry’s ongoing efforts to monitor fishing activities, the Minister acknowledged the crucial role of the Artisanal Sector in the industry’s long-term viability. She issued a stern warning against fishing and selling fingerlings and juvenile fish.
Acting Director of Fisheries, Sheku Sei, lauded the confiscation of over forty-two baskets containing various species of juvenile fish as a significant victory for both the ministry and the nation. He underscored that fishing, selling, and buying juvenile fish violate the Fisheries Act and carry a minimum fine of fifty thousand US dollars.
Plans are in place to symbolically burn some of the confiscated juvenile fish and repurpose the rest as fish meal for aquaculture and poultry, sending a clear message about the consequences of illegal fishing practices.
Accompanying Minister Dugba on the visit were Deputy Minister Haja Isata Abdulai Kamara, Permanent Secretary Brima Kebbie, and other technical heads of the ministry. Despite the large seizure, no one claimed ownership of the illegal catch.
The ministry continues to crack down on various illegal fishing methods, including the use of monofilament nets and dynamite, which deplete the nation’s vital fisheries and marine resources. The Ministry of Fisheries remains steadfast in its commitment to regulating and monitoring fishing activities to ensure the sector’s sustainability.