By: Mohamed Sahr
Sustainable fishing practices and strong regulations are essential for protecting the livelihoods of artisanal local fishers in the Funkia Fishing Harbour. Funkia is a big community located at Goderich in the Western Area Rural District. The community hosts thousands of inhabitants who mostly rely on fishing as their major source of livelihood.
However, by implementing sustainable fishing methods, enforcing strict regulations, and supporting local fishing communities, it could be obvious that the oceans are protected for future generations while also supporting the livelihoods of those who depend on them amidst the presence of foreign owned distant vessels.
45-year-old Daniel Samuel Martin, a boat owner and Artisanal fisher said the presence of foreign-owned distant fishing vessels had affected most of their routine fishing expedition especially at night when they had cast their net as well hoping for successful rewards for the next day. Martin added that foreign vessels from nearby Guinea, Conakry, and Guinea Bissau mostly cut and damaged their nets. “Their presence has disturbed our trade,” Mr. Samuel said.
He furthered that a good number of the most needed fishes have moved out of their zones only to catch juvenile fishes, which makes their work very difficult.
Speaking on the economic impact, the presence of foreign-owned distant fishing vessels has led to fish shortage and the Leones’ depreciation. This aspect also affects their alternative livelihoods, particularly during the closed of the fishing season.
Bai Conteh, a traditional fisherman who started his trade at the age of twenty cited that the foreign trailers have caused more harm than good at the sea. He said most of these foreign vessels are in the habit of destroying their chains, and even ransacked them with the use of their advanced equipment.
It is evidence that these artisanal fishers regularly pay their yearly license fees, which are equivalent to one thousand New Leones for each in order to certify their eligibility at sea. However, these fees are supposed to guarantee safety and security measures, but according to them, nothing is forthcoming from the government and Maritime Administration.
Mohamed Fullah Bangura, Community Head and custodian of law and orders at the Funkia Fishing Centre within the Goderich community in Freetown, said the local fishermen spend more than 12 hours at sea hoping for a good turnout. But as a result of the activities of the foreign-owned distant fishing vessels, their work has been difficult. Adding that, there have been instances where their boats got damaged.
He encouraged the government and institutions responsible for helping the artisanal local fishermen and women to provide sustainable alternative livelihoods and seek transparency.
Benjamin Bockarie, Blue Economy Program Coordinator of GOAL Sierra Leone, mentioned that the challenges of artisanal local fishers span from competition over space for fishing. He said artisanal fishers are required to fish within the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) area, whereas, foreign trailers or industrial vessels are required to fish in the Economy Exclusive Zone (EEZ) area. “However, the marine space is unlike the land, with boundaries for easy identification. There have been challenges to maritime boundary degradation,” Bockarie said.
The GOAL Sierra Leone Program Coordinator stated that because of the lack of understanding, conflicts and threats have been the order at the sea, which have led to the damaged of the artisanal fishing gears.
He cited another major challenge which resulted to the shortage of catch mainly due to high levels of overfishing at the downstream level, precisely done by foreign-owned distant fishing vessels while at sea. He added that this has gone unreported and unchecked by the maritime administration.
Bockarie outlined that sustainable fishing practices enhance thriving and resilient small-scale fishing and the general fishing sector. With this, he said biodiversity will strive, habitats can be protected, the pollution level will be reduced, and the impact of marine degradation will be reduced as well.
“If we can reduce the unreported and unregulated fishing by foreign vessels, there will be a high potential for huge biomass that will equally have good economic values,” the GOAL program coordinator said.
Despite all of these unfair competition between artisanal fishers and foreign owned distant vessels, there have been frameworks and treaties that seek to regulate their operations. Prominent among these frameworks is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is an international treaty providing a framework for managing and conserving marine resources.
Article 62 of UNCLOS states that “coastal states have the exclusive right to exploit the living resources within their exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and should promote the objective of their “optimum utilization.”
Also, Article 66 encourages cooperation between states to conserve and manage living resources, particularly shared or straddled fish stocks. This promotes sustainable fishing practices and ensures that fish stocks are not overexploited.
Another framework that deals with sustainable fishing practices and strong regulations is the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA). It is a binding international agreement that aims to combat illegal fishing by preventing vessels engaged in such activities from using ports and landing their catches.
Apparently, amidst all of the challenges and impacts of foreign distant, one of the potential solutions is to provide sustainable fishing practices and strong regulations in a bid to protect artisanal local fishers for governments and organizations to provide financial and technical support to local fishers in order to help them adopt sustainable fishing practices and compete with foreign vessels.
Establishing marine protected areas where fishing is restricted is another way to help preserve important habitats and allow the fish population to recover.
Strong enforcement of fishing regulations can also help prevent illegal fishing and ensure that all fishers follow the rules.
