Technology will Combat illegal Unreported, Unregulated Fishing on Nigeria's water space - Oyetola

By Godson Ikoro

The Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola has said that the best way to check the incidents of illegal Unreported and Unregulated fishing, (IUU) in Nigeria’s exclusive economic water zone is to deploy Technology even as efforts are being made to boost fish production.

He stated this while fielding questions from Journalists at the 16th conference of Ministers of Fisheries Committee for West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) held, Thursday at the Lagos Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island.

Explaining why the IUU fishing persists on Nigeria’s water space despite the multiple framework established to check it, Oyetola said that the best way to tackle the problem is to deploy necessary and appropriate technology.

Although, he acknowledged that the IUU fishing is a global problem, Oyetola explained that Nigeria has over 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic water zone which is difficult to monitor and cover manually.
” There is no way you can cover the area effectively except you deploy technology and that is what we are trying to do”, he said.
This underscores the central theme of the three days conference: securing our blue future: people, resources and commitments.
He emphasized the need to collaborate within the Gulf of Guinea, noting that sophisticated vessels go a little beyond the national borders to a neigbouring country and switch off their vessels and stay there to harvest fishes and ship them away and sometimes sell it to Nigeria as imported fish.
Oyetola bemoaned that Nigeria is losing a lot of revenue, a lot of billions of dollars through the activities of illegal fishing.

He, however, assured that with necessary and appropriate technology, the menace will be addressed to the barest minimum.

On the level of local fish production since he assumed office, the Minister said that under his watch the national fish output has improved.
According to him the national fish production was about 1.1 metric tonnes but now the output has grown to 1.4 metric tonnes.
He affirmed that the Federal government is working assiduously to increase the local fish production because fish is a veritable source of protein to Nigerians.

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In this regard, Oyetola said that plans are underway to establish local feed mills to help the fish farmers, stressing that depending on foreign feed is an impediment to fish production.
Furthermore, he averred that his ministry is empowering the artisanal farmers by giving them inputs and encouraging them to form cooperative societies to be able to access funds.
Additionally, he said that the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is discussing with the bank of industry to provide support for the fisheries sector so that the fishermen and fish farmers will be able to obtain loans with a single digit interest rate which no commercial bank can give them at the moment.

Earlier, the out going chairman of FCWC, and director general of national fisheries and aquaticulture authority ( NaFAA) of Liberia, Hon. J. Cyrus Saygbe bemoaned loss of billions of dollars to the African continent.
” There are sophisticated fish trawlers that come into our water space harvest our fish and commit a lot of fraud in terms of transhipment. Africa, he argues, is losing bulk of its natural resources which should have been used to cater to the needs these countries.
He said the way to overcome the IUU debacle is to begin to protect our waters collectively and that is the strength FCWC has as a regional body, adding that strategies are underway to overcome it .
It would be recalled that
In Nigeria,the FCWC provide regional platform for cooperation in fisheries management, data sharing joint monitoring,control and surveillance (MCS) activities to ensure sustainable fisheries and promote regional integration.
The Nigeria National Working Group (NWG) coordinated by the federal department of fisheries and aquatculture includes Nimasa and others.