The Director General of the Liberian fishery sector has disclosed that the country’s fishery sector is now at the verge of reaching an industrial level, as she commissioned the first comprehensive and independent fish stock assessment on Monday, August 14, 2023 at the Bong Mines Fishing Pier, Bushrod Island, for the purpose of developing a management plan that will inform the fishery authority on the fish resources and the number of vessels to be licensed to fish.
“This process is complete, as Liberia has successfully contracted the services of the Oceanographic Research Center of Dakar, Senegal, to assess its coastal pelagic (mid water) and demersal (bottom) fish resources,” a National Fishery and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) press release disclosed.
It can be recalled that sometime ago the Government of Liberia (GOL), through NaFAA, entered into a bilateral arrangement with the Senegalese government, which later arranged with the Guinean government for the use of its research vessel, “RV Lansana Conte”, for the conduct of a comprehensive fish stock assessment across the country.
Addressing a live media coverage in the front of “RV Lansana Conte” at the BMC Pier, Emma Metieh Glassco disclosed that Liberia will shortly achieve its potential in the fishery sector following the comprehensive and independent fish stock assessment, which will impact the nine coastal counties.
“This is a transition from small skill fishery to a commercially viable fishing industrial fisheries sector,” she observed.
Glassco disclosed that the entire financing of the stock assessment under the World Bank-sponsored Liberia Sustainable Fisheries Management Project is put at more than US$2 million. She said the stock assessment will reveal the entire potential of the Liberian fishery sector. Following the process across Liberia, she said fish importation will be minimized, and the markets will be flooded with Liberian fish products.
“Liberia has a history of having an abundance of shelve fish—once the biggest exporter of sea food in the 1970s into Europe, Asia and other parts of the World. We have one of the best shrimps, but we cannot attract investors now because we do not have any scientific information to prove that these species are available and obtain their geographical distribution across the continental shelve,” Glassco added.
The Liberian fishery Director General, who expressed optimism about the positive outcome of the fish stock assessment, revealed that following the research the fishery authority will obtain the net worth of Liberia’s marine resources, at which time the ocean will be quantified and given its overall value.
Speaking on the social impact of the stock assessment, the Liberian fishery’s DG noted that there will be increased job opportunities through foreign investment following the conduct of the stock assessment.
Additionally, she said, “If Liberia is to attract foreign investment it will create more jobs. The investors will build canaries, fish mills, as it is in Dakar and other fisheries nations in Africa and the world.”
She maintained that the outcome of the fish stock assessment would put Liberia on par with other nations in Africa and the world.
At the same time, the Senior Research Officer/Scientist of the Oceanographic Research Center of Dakar, Senegal (CRODT), Abdoulaye Sarre, expressed delight in their presence after two years of technical arrangements to conduct scientific research across Liberian waters in order to develop a management plan that would governor the fishery sector.
Sarre, who recounted the number of countries in Africa where they have conducted successful fish stock assessments, promised that they would delivered on the results the Liberian government needs to open the sector.
Also making remarks at the commissioning ceremony was the World Bank task team leader and Senior Environmental Specialist, Shafick Hoossein, who said the bank was delighted to witness the commissioning of the vessel to conduct fish stock assessment in Liberia.
Hoosein said the fish stock assessment is a proof that the World Bank-sponsored fishery projects will leave a mark in the Liberian fishery sector upon its completion.