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ILLEGAL FISHING IN SIERRA LEONE
In Sierra Leone, more than two-thirds of the population lives in poverty. About half are malnourished. Fisheries account for up to 10 percent of the country’s GDP, according to the World Bank, and marine life makes up more than half the animal protein in a typical Sierra Leonean diet. So any dent in fisheries’ productivity is a serious issue for this country, which is on a slow but steady road toward recovery after 11 years of a brutal civil war, which ended only a decade ago. Furthermore, Sierra Leonean fishermen actually face physical dangers when illegal trawlers encroach on their territory. Some are forced to use wooden canoes -- traditionally meant only for use in nearby waters -- to go farther out to sea, a precarious journey that becomes necessary when pirate fishers have depleted supplies.

Marine Fish Resources are a valuable natural asset for West Africa:
 * Over 1.6 million tons caught annually; est. wholesale value of $3 billion
 * Almost 10% of GDP in Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
 * Over 30% of export revenues in Mauritania and Senegal
 * 10 to 30% of public revenues in Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
 * Directly and indirectly employs over 3 million people
 * Fish provides up to 50% total animal protein intake for several countries

Tricky Trading
It would be a mistake to malign all of the people on board these illegal trawlers; many crew members are as victimized as the Sierra Leoneans they steal from.

The crew members who conduct the day-to-day business of running the trawlers are often working for very low wages in cramped, unsanitary conditions. They tend to come from both Asia and China and can work at sea for months or years before getting an opportunity to visit home. If they complain, they could be terminated and left ashore at a foreign port. But as long as they continue working, they risk running afoul of international law if their vessels are seized by authorities.

Ships’ captains and owners -- not to mention the land-based officials they sometimes bribe to turn a blind eye to their operations -- are the ones who ultimately profit from illegal trawling. Many of the ships that have infiltrated West African waters in recent years can be traced back to South Korea and China, though these are by no means the only nations involved. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to track down the specific business -- or even country -- behind each pirate trawling ship, since virtually all of them engage in active obfuscation.

An International Solution
EJF outlined some possible solutions to combat this problem, and the first of them is spurring governmental involvement. This can take place in three places: in countries near where the fishing is carried out, like Sierra Leone; in countries where the fish ultimately make their way to market, like Spain or the United Kingdom; and in those countries that sell the use of their flags without enforcing regulations, like Panama.

Sierra Leone, for instance, might allocate more of its security forces to patrolling the nearby seas. This can be difficult considering the government’s dearth of economic resources, and here international assistance would be useful.  In European countries, authorities at the ports can require more extensive records and proof of the legality of every catch. This would include more comprehensive research on the existence and location of illegal vessels, as well as a blacklisting of companies found to knowingly engage in illegal fishing activities.

Meanwhile, Panama, Togo, Tanzania and other such flag-leasing countries must adhere to the guidelines regarding the monitoring and regulation of those vessels that carry their banner. The elimination of third-party brokers, who today often facilitate the sale of flags to foreign ships, would be a step in the right direction.

STEPS THAT MIGHT BE TAKEN TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM

 * 252 reports of illegal pirate fishing by industrial vessels in inshore areas in an 18-month period;
 * Despite the EU Regulation to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU fishing, evidence collected on 10 vessels believed to account for the    majority of reports revealed that nine are accredited to export their catches to the EU;
 * 90 per cent of vessels documented by EJF in West Africa were destructive bottom trawlers;
 * Evidence of extensive use of Flags of Convenience;
 * Evidence of increasing volumes of illegal catches being transhipped at sea onto large refrigerated cargo vessels destined for East Asia;
 * Photos of physical violence against a local fisher;
 * How the proper application of technology such as Vessel Monitoring Systems/GPS units can help combat illegal pirate fishing;
 * The important role of local communities in successful sustainable fisheries management.

SalieuSankoh - National Project Coordinator says that they have set the record straight and that any vessel that wants to fish on Sierra Leone waters must do so through the right channel and comply with the laws of the country”

Fishing in Sierra Leone:
Sierra Leone has plentiful natural resources and its productive coastal waters are an invaluable source of food and employment for its people. It has a coastline that feeds from a number of rivers and abundant rainfall which in turn provides some elements for productive marine fisheries. The fisheries sector has been contributing immensely to the country’s economic development. According to the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Dr.SoccohKabia, the fisheries sector is contributing about 10% to the country’s GDP.

The West Africa Regional Fisheries Project (WARFP) of the Ministry of Fisheries, states that the fisheries sector is providing employment for an estimated 100,000 persons directly, and, indirectly for about 500,000 persons. This represents about 10% of the country’s population. Information from the same source states that the coastal areas; Bonthe, Shenge, Tombo to name a few, consist mostly of a fishing population, and about 25% of the male population of working age is in part-time or full-time fishing.(John BaimbaSesay, ex-Communications Specialist-WARFP-SL)

As a consequence of the civil war, the government lacked the capacity to monitor and control its coastal waters. Foreign illegal fishing vessels have multiplied, plundering the rich waters of Sierra Leone. “We estimate that the country is now losing almost $29 million every year to illegal fishing operators – a potential developmental income that local communities and the government cannot afford to lose. What is even more annoying is the fact that the country does not benefit anything out of its own resources.” complains Victor Kargbo, Fishing Protection Officer of the Ministry of Fisheries.

IUU fishing – the issue:
As defined in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated or IUU fishing means “fishing activities which are illegal, unreported or unregulated”. The convention further clarifies how fishing can be illegal, unreported and unregulated and maintained that IUU fishing is a crime and authorizes sanctions against any country or company that engages in the act – the basis for deterring and preventing IUU fishing by means of international law.

IUU fishing is identified as a serious global problem; one of the main impediments to the achievement of a sustainable world fisheries. According to Illegal-fishing.info, IUU fishing is worth between $10bn and $23.5bn per year, representing a substantial loss of revenue, particularly to some of the poorest countries in the world where dependency on fisheries for food, livelihoods and revenues is high. IUU fishing respects neither national boundaries nor international attempts to manage high seas resources. It thrives where governance is weak and where countries fail to meet their international responsibilities. It puts unsustainable pressure on fish stocks, marine wildlife and habitats, subverts labour standards and distorts markets.

Now, to curb this global problem, the UNCLOS has put forward certain regulations to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. According to articles 44 and 45 of the Law of the Sea, member states shall impose sanctions ranging from suspension of authority to fish, withdrawal of fishing rights to confiscation of illegal fishing gears, catches or fisheries products of any fishing vessel conducting IUU fishing activities on their waters.

IUU Fishing – a crime:
Numerous fishing communities occupy Sierra Leone’s coastlines where the people’s only source of livelihood is fishing. Through such economic activities, parents are able to school their children and take care of their homes. As a consequence of the civil war, the governments have fragile administrative capacity, weak regulations and corrupt officials who would do anything to survive the harsh conditions of the country. Couldn’t a situation like this attract illegal fishing vessels? The Sierra Leone Fisheries law does not permit any fishing vessel to fish within 35 Nautical Miles of the Inshore Exclusion Zone or IEZ. It also forbids vessels to fish on its waters without a permit or flags of convenience. However, due to lack of monitoring capacity, the ministry could not detect fishing vessels that violate this policy.

A video documentary by Aljazeera’s Juliana Ruhfus in collaboration with Environmental Justice Foundation in October 2011 showed how fishing vessels from Asia and other parts of Europe, [Ocean 3 and Sea Queen] fish illegally in the IEZ, in Sierra Leone. These fishing vessels turn off their vessel monitoring system so they could not be detected, paint the vessel black, obscure the identity of the vessel, are without Flags of Convenience and fish in unauthorized locations. Could these be the exact ones about which the fishermen complained?

According to the UNCLOS article 3(f), a vessel is illegal when it “falsifies or conceals its markings, identity or registration [...]”. This is exactly how illegal foreign vessels violate the laws and exploit the country’s waters, taking away the fisheries products without the knowledge of authorities. But how do the vessels come to fish on the waters illegally?

Efforts to prevent IUU fishing:
IUU fishing occurs in virtually all captured fisheries, ranging from fisheries under national jurisdiction to high seas fisheries. It weakens the ability of the fisheries sector to meet national and global economic, social and environmental objectives and threatens the livelihoods of people who depend on fishing. However, given the importance of developing countries in the international fish trade, measures to reduce IUU fishing will fail if developing countries are not active participants in the fight to ensure legal and sustainable fishing practices.

According to chapter 4 of the UNCLOS, regional fisheries management organizations, with the active support of the community have established an array of measures designed to counteract IUU fishing. One such organization is the West Africa Regional Fisheries Project for Sierra Leone which the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources implements. This $28 million project gets fund from the International Development Association and Global Environmental Facility of the World Bank. It is set up to strengthen the capacity of the country to manage its fish industry by reducing IUU fishing and adding local value to fish products across the country.

Fighting IUU Fishing in Sierra Leone:
Satellite technology and automated information system are one way to provide adequate monitoring of the waters. “It has been quite challenging to monitor and control the waters effectively in the past, but now we can tell who is at sea through our satellite monitoring technology” said Dr.SalieuSankoh, <>Project Coordinator of the West Africa Fisheries Project in Freetown. With this type of radar technology, a vessel can be detected at 35 nautical miles of the coastal waters and with patrol boats, ministry authorities can surveillance the waters and arrest any illegal vessel.

Victor Bernard Cole Country Representative for EJF Sierra Leone recommends creating a regular monitoring and control task force for all coastal waters in the country. “If we have a regular patrol team, illegal vessels would be afraid because they do not want to get caught and that would scare them away” he says. “Since we began to patrol the Sherbro waters regularly and provide evidence to the ministry, most of the trawlers have fled for fear of being arrested”.

Another effort to control illegal fishing is to engage community participation. In doing this, WARFP has established community fisheries management committees for four Marine Protected Areas MPAs within local fishing communities along the coastlines. These committees are responsible to control all fishing activities in their areas and report any illegal fishing to the ministry which then makes the arrests. “The community management committees have been highly cooperative and our fishing businesses are returning to normal” says Mary Walters a senior fishmonger in the Sherbro Island.

The Future
Arresting illegal fishing vessels involves legal support. So far, the ministry has made eight arrests between 2011 and early 2012; the most recent a French Vessel “TV Sterenn” which received a fine of $703 thousand. According to Dr.Sankoh, 80% of the arrests made are from trawlers fishing within the IEZ. The revenue generated in the form of fines is about $1 million and according to Dr.Sankoh, these monies are put into the country’s consolidated fund.

The ministry’s effort to control the waters is not without challenges. There are other areas to strengthen in order to put a final hold on this problem. The ministry still needs more patrol boats, total control over the entire fishing industry and better conditions of service for personnel to prevent professional malpractices. Furthermore, the government needs strong collaborative support from other states within the UN and the EU to end this problem.

When Dr.SoccohKabia made his Keynote address at the international forum for IUU fishing in London, he said the ministry generated over $3 million in total revenue. Yet the ministry lacks patrol boats? Is the ministry not supposed to use the revenue it generates for its operational benefits? I think it is time the ministry became more proactive and decides how to use the revenue it generates to foster a smooth operation.