By Usuf Babalola

Nigeria and other countries in the West African sub-region incurred an annual loss of $2billion from illegal fishing by foreigners, the executive secretary of the Gulf Of Guinea Commission, Amb. Florentina Ukonga disclosed this yesterday at a forum on Nigeria's maritime sector in Lagos.

Ukonga, who announced that this year's second seminar of the Gulf Of Guinea Commission is entitled "The Blue Economy in the interest of Food Security in the Gulf Of Guinea Region", said that the largely underdeveloped and poorly governed state of the coastal region is a major drawback.

She said: "While other countries and regions are reaping the benefits and returns from the blue economy, West Africa, for example, is estimated to be losing about $2billion annually from illegal fishing. Its coastal sector remains largely underdeveloped and poorly governed, which has enabled other forces from outside the continent that benefits more from it, than its citizens.

"Approximately, 57 per cent of fish stocks are fully exploited and another 30 per cent is over-exploited, depleted or recovering," Ambassador Florentina Ukonga stated.

She, however, charged member states to collectively resolve increasing pressures faced by seas and oceans. She also said that the maritime domain cannot be managed individually because of the inter-connectivity of maritime activities amongst various organisations.

"Our seas and oceans are facing increasing pressures from both within and outside the region and it is in our own interest to deal with these pressures through collective efforts. No individual State can effectively and prudently manage its maritime domain. We must collectively, continue to manage the human activities that are negatively affecting our seas and oceans.

According to her, this has made the maritime domain of the GOG a safe haven for illegal activities of arms trafficking, illegal immigration, human trafficking, drug trafficking among other types of trafficking.

She also called for cooperation among member States by putting resources together and fight piracy adding that the Nigerian Navy is working hard to curtail incidences of piracy, but they should work in collaboration with other navies of other states of the region.

She listed members of GOG commission to include Nigeria, Cameroon, Republic of Garbon, Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Congo DR, Ghana and Angola.

Amb Ukonga noted that fishing is one of the ways by which the West African Region can take full advantage of the vast ocean resources of the region and improve the standard of living of its population.

While declaring the 3-conference open, director-general of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside noted that the conference which is the 2nd edition is targeted at bringing together experts from the region in order to brainstorm on how to harness the enormous resources in the blue economy instead of concentrating on the crude oil.

Peterside who was represented by the Executive Director Finance and Administration, Mr. Bashir Jamoh stressed the need for Nigeria as a country to look beyond crude oil.

Source: https://allafrica.com/stories/201810300237.html

Nigeria

Is it kote or panla?

IT SHALL NOT BE WELL WITH BUHARI

Do they (our leaders) even know what illegal fishing means?
That's what happens when illiterates are leading the affairs of a country.

this 1 think Nigeria no get sense... they wan turn us to mumu... let him say the disadvantage of it... Nigeria and Ghana wise nw...people w $2b loss is koko...

Mubarak05:
IT SHALL NOT BE WELL WITH BUHARI

so u never get sense...u b mumu ooo...all fish way dey Nigeria u don buy am finish... na u he shall not b well...he no kuku well for u b4 that's why u re ranting....

Most especially from the Chinese trawlers, they will come to west Africa coast to fish, something that can never be done in European countries.

This is a huge revenue source for teeming unemployed Nigerians. Only if our leaders knows and follows how things are done overseas. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just delegate someone from the relevant ministry to study the guidelines of fishing in developed countries and implement them.

Create incentives for setting up fishing companies, import trawlers and set up large fishing market in coastal areas. Huge revenue source and job for Nigerians. If you watch Fishing Wars on National Geographic, you will know how much revenue this country is losing to illegal foreign trawlers. One blue fin tuna can cost as much as $1000 (N365,000) just one blue fin. However, the will for implementation is missing.

China

The

Number

One

Culprit

tokrizy:


illegal fishing bi ti bawo.

what's illegal fishing.

me I'm nt understanding ooo.

somebody should please explain the picture below

I wonder oooo. which one is illegal fishing? do I need permission from anyone before I throws my net inside river Niger or bayelsa ocean? if u can take the risk, then fish.

actrinity:

I wonder oooo. which one is illegal fishing? do I need permission from anyone before I throws my net inside river Niger or bayelsa ocean? if u can take the risk, then fish.

Did you even read carefully?

The reference is to the foreign illegal fishing trawlers.

How did they arrive at that amount? Who did the estimate? These guys just dish out figures just for the sake of it. Mtchewwwwwww

Made in Nigeria goods is the way forward .....

Nigeria simply needs to build up its naval presence. The only reason foreigners are so confortable violating laws is because we arent enforcing them. Millitary build up cost money though especially if we want to projet power over the whole Gulf of Guinea.

actrinity:

I wonder oooo. which one is illegal fishing? do I need permission from anyone before I throws my net inside river Niger or bayelsa ocean? if u can take the risk, then fish.

leave all this people na mumu dem think say we be na

Since government trawlers are not more functional, what do you expect? It is like blaming illegal "solid minerals" miners in Nigeria when the government isn't interested in that sector as they do in oil.

The truth is that, the fishes they catch on our territorial waters are not the usual ones you find on the markets (Titus, mackrels etc) because, those ones are found between Morocco and Mauritania, owning to the cold current favourable for large schools of such fishes over there.

I know we have crayfish upwelling in the bight of Biafra (or Benin if you like) and that is why most crayfish sellers source it from Oron and adjoining areas.

good

How Nigeria Loses $70m to Illegal Fishing by Chinese Vessels

The Nigeria Navy has disclosed that the country loses as much as $70milion annually to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), activities of some Chinese Fishing vessels in the maritime domain.

These Chinese vessels usually come as close as four nautical miles to the coast, which is illegal, thus depriving local fishermen of the resources. This was disclosed when a delegation from the German Armed Forces General Staff College visited the Western Naval Command (WNC) headquarters in Lagos, recently.

According to the WNC Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Rear Admiral Sylvanus Abbah, the perpetrators usually come as close as four nautical miles to the coast.

He said such acts are not allowed, further adding that by so doing, they deprive local fishermen of the resources they ought to accrue to them.
Although Abbah said there was significant reduction in unregulated fishing, he noted that this was because a lot of vessels had been arrested for IUU and handed over to relevant authorities.

He said: “The command went to work and started arresting vessels without fishing license. Any vessel that does not respond to our fishing codes or without authorised licenses are apprehended and handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.

“Even those with licenses are also arrested if they are found to be acting against the terms of their licenses in line with the Harmonised Standard Operating Procedures of arrests and prosecution of vessels and persons in Nigeria’s maritime domain.”

On measures put in place to ameliorate the effects of piracy, he said Lagos waters were relatively safe as the command recorded only case of piracy, which they recorded a break through by rescuing the victims and arresting the Pirates.

“To ameliorate the effects of piracy, we have put together a safe anchorage area in a general axis on Lagos waters and we have deployed vessels to protect them. “If others can buy into this method, it will go a long way to fight piracy and ensure protection of our vessels”, he stressed.
Meanwhile, the Defence Attach, Colonel Thomas Brillisauer said that plans had been concluded for Germany to donate five Epenal Boats to the Nigerian Navy (NN).

He said the boats, which were built at the Naval Shipyard Limited in Port Harcourt, would be handed over to the NN in a few weeks time to aid the service’s fight against oil theft and other maritime crimes. According to him, Germany was open to donate more boats as its assistance to the NN to boost its presence within the Niger Delta and the Lake Chad regions, adding that Epenal Boats were chosen because the navy already had similar ones in its fleet and understood its functionality.

Source THISDAY

The Only Fish Most 9Ja Guys Know Can Not Be Found In The Water.

OkaNaUbe:
Since government trawlers are not more functional, what do you expect? It is like blaming illegal "solid minerals" miners in Nigeria when the government isn't interested in that sector as they do in oil.

The truth is that, the fishes they catch on our territorial waters are not the usual ones you find on the markets (Titus, mackrels etc) because, those ones are found between Morocco and Mauritania, owning to the cold current favourable for large schools of such fishes over there.

I know we have crayfish upwelling in the bight of Biafra (or Benin if you like) and that is why most crayfish sellers source it from Oron and adjoining areas.

The government failed at both mining and fishing business. The government encourage domestic fishing industry, patrol maritime domain and old open fishing terminals. You can blame foreigners since they are law breakers. They ought to be arrested since they are unlicensed, dont pay tax, harm environment and take jobs.

These are plenty of good fish specicies that do well in warm water climates. If our fish werent good these foreiners wouldn't leave their shores to come to Gulf of Guinea. Fish you can find off Bight of Biafra include, blue marlin, croaker, barracuda, squid, sardine, snapper, shrimp, prawn.

tokrizy:



leave all this people na mumu dem think say we be na

post=72555714]Made in Nigeria goods is the way forward .....[/quote][quote author=tokrizy:


illegal fishing bi ti bawo.

what's illegal fishing.

me I'm nt understanding ooo.

somebody should please explain the picture below

actrinity:

I wonder oooo. which one is illegal fishing? do I need permission from anyone before I throws my net inside river Niger or bayelsa ocean? if u can take the risk, then fish.

tokrizy:


illegal fishing bi ti bawo.

what's illegal fishing.

me I'm nt understanding ooo.

somebody should please explain the picture below

na who do una dis tin?
even as friendly as Google is, to do search dey hard una
stop displaying your ignorance.

actrinity:

I wonder oooo. which one is illegal fishing? do I need permission from anyone before I throws my net inside river Niger or bayelsa ocean? if u can take the risk, then fish.

And if we look at it now, you will call yourself a graduate. What does it cost you to pick up your phone and research on it.