By Ibrahim S.Bangura
Thomas Orthame Turay, the president of the Sierra Leone Artisanal Fishermen Union, has said on Monday that, the local fishing industry has been adversely affected by the measures the government had announced to fight against the COVID-19.
Turay said that they were having poor catch because their hours of operation had been cut short by the curfew which the government has announced. He further added that some fishermen leave in the morning only to return from sea without fish.
The Ministries of Fisheries and Marine Resources, and Transport and Aviation have ban all fishing canoes and transport boats from landing or berthing at their respective landing sites after 7:00pm, as a measure to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
Ministries of Fisheries and Transport said in a joint statement that the fishing boats that usually go on fishing expedition at night must do so before 7:00pm in the evening.
Turay cited that when some fishermen leave in the morning, and realize that they could not return within the regulated time for the curfew, they will decide to remain at sea till the next day. He added that this sometimes cause their catch to rot. He also said that due to such hardships which they suffer under the new regulations, some fishermen have decided not to go out at sea at all. He said that over 400 fishing boats were now packed at the harbor without going for fishing.
This has negatively impacted the supply of fish in the market. The prices of fish in the market are increasing by the day which made it difficult for ordinary Sierra Leoneans to purchase fish which is part of their daily diet. About 50 percent of Sierra Leoneans who live below the poverty line rely on fish for their protein
Turay explained that the hard times which the fishing industry had had, has contributed to the general hardship in the country. He also added that, the fishing industry was not only providing food for the nation, but also revenue for the government in addition to immensely contributing to the development of the country’s economy.
He appealed for the Government to provide accreditation cards for fishermen and extend the Curfew time from 6:00am to 12:00am. He said that over 12,500 people in Sierra Leone are employed by the local fishing industry.
According to Saidu Kamara, a fisherman at Tombo, he had no means of generating income to sustain his family, except through fishing. “I did not go to school, and I have no other skill that will help me earn money for our survival. I only depend on fishing but since the government had implemented his laws, I am no more going for fishing because of the time.”
He said that they were committed to the measures which the government had instituted, but he appealed to the government to increase their time of fishing so that they could be able to do fishing in order to sustain their families.
He said that, they could only make enough catch from 3:00am to 6:00am.