Plans are said to be underway by the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) to launch a task force for the purpose of tackling illegal fishing across the country.
The program, when launched will also mainly target illegal dynamite fishing by unscrupulous fisher-folk in Liberia.
The plan was disclosed by the Director General of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), Emma M. Glassco who is charged with the statutory responsibility to regulate the country’s fishing industry.
Speaking Thursday March 16, 2023 at the relaunch of a government rebranded public engagement forum dubbed “Bringing Government to the People”, the NaFAA Boss further described dynamite fishing as a threat to sustainable fisheries management that requires collective efforts to have it minimized for the good of the population.
According to her, NaFAA is now setting up a national compliance task force that would include the Ministry of Justice, the Liberia Coast Guard, the Liberia Immigration Service and community to deal with the situation.
“This dynamite fishing is a big problem in Liberia. We’re developing a national compliance task force. That will comprise of the Liberia National Police under the Ministry of Justice, the Liberia Immigration Service, under the Ministry of Justice, the Coast Guard under the Ministry of National Defense, NaFAA, the local fishing communities, and we are going to consummate that document between now to July”.
Director General Glassco also mentioned that the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority has instituted a national call center to receive complaints about dynamite fishing across the country.
“We have developed a national call center “6232” and we will be working with the police and the local communities to help to tackle the issue of dynamite fishing. We cannot solve it alone as an institution”
Speaking on other methods of fishing considered illegal, the Director General said NaFAA was concerned about beach seine, a kind of destructive fishing method commonly known as drawl-way in Liberia. According to her, seine fishing has been banned”.
Beach Seine Fishing- A net shot by hand or from a small boat in a circular shape and drawn ashore by hand from both ends, which targets fish living close to the shoreline. Beach seines are surrounding nets operated with two long ropes, set from the shore for encircling a school of fish in shallow coastal waters.