The compliance and enforcement team of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) has arrested some illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishermen, mainly Ghanaians.
The NaFAA team, headed by the Deputy Director General for Technical Services, William Y. Boeh, including his staffers along with the Liberia Coast Guard, carried out the arrest along the coast of Grand Kru County.
The arrest took place in a hidden fishing community, Nifu, along the Dorbor River, Sass Town, which connects the sea in Grand Kru County following a tip-off by some local fishermen in Grandcess.
The fishermen in Grandcess informed NaFAA compliance team that the Ghanaian fishermen are migrant fishermen and are involved in illegal activities in the Nifu fishing community.
The local Grandcess fishermen who spoke during a meeting with NaFAA compliance and enforcement team Thursday, January 14, 2020 further disclosed that the IUU Ghanaian fishermen, fishing without license, are noted for running into their nets whenever they are fishing illegally.
At the same time, NaFAA’s team in Grand Kru County said that the migrant fishermen registered under false pretense—that they were resident Ghanaian fishermen, but their activities speak to the fact that they were migrants.
The NaFAA Grand Kru team also mentioned that, following the registration of the Ghanaian fishermen and an investigation was launched, it was established they were migrant fishermen involved in fermented fish, commonly called “mueh-mueh”, unknown to the Liberian fisheries authority.
Making the disclosure following more than four hours of motorized canoe ride at the hide out of the IUU Ghanaian fishermen, the Supervisor of the small skills unit within the Marine & Environment Division of NaFAA, Emmanuel B. Davis, mentioned that the Ghanaian fishermen have established their own fishing communities separate from the locals. All fermented fish caught last fishing year (2020) were undeclared to the fishery authorities and illegally shipped out of Liberia.
In a related development, NaFAA compliance and enforcement team has also seized two motor engines belonging to a group of notorious sea cucumber fishermen, headed by a Sierra Leonean, Adulia Massaray.
The illegal sea cucumber fishermen, who previously registered to fish sea cucumbers with a single motorized engine and a canoe in 2020, brought in another engine and a canoe without the consent of NaFAA.
The Sierra Leonean sea cucumber fishermen operated with their illegal (unregistered) canoes and outboard motor engines since the beginning of 2021. Since 2021 they violated the fishery laws of Liberia by exporting their sea cucumbers without an export permit from NaFAA, thus depriving the sector of legal finances.
They previously operated in Rivercess County, where the compliance and enforcement team had visited in late December 2020 in search of them, but they escaped after being informed by locals.
The sea cucumber fishermen later escaped to Sass Town, Grand Kru County, where they thought they could operate without the supervision of the authority, NaFAA.
These internationally illegal fishermen have been hosted by groups of Liberians in all of the hideouts within the fishing communities across coastal communities in Liberia; as such, the need to have them arrested for illegally taking away fish resources from Liberian waters exists.
Meanwhile, five of the seven outboard engines seized by the NaFAA Compliance Team belong to the group of illegal Ghanaian fishermen, while the other two belong to the illegal sea cucumber fishermen, who are mainly Sierra Leoneans.
The Outboard engines (15 horse power) are being transported to Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, to be turned over to the Liberia Coast Guard for onward delivery to the technical offices of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority.
Illegal fishing activities have over the years caused serious financial lost to the Liberian fishery sector, thus depriving the sector of millions of United States dollars, which could have contributed to the developmental programs of Liberia.
The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority has over the years arrested local and internationally illegal, unreported and unregulated fishermen, their nets and Outboard engines, but it appears like they are doubling their illegal effort to damage the Liberian fishery sector.