Pirate Fishing In Sierra Leone

How Illegal Deep Sea Fishing Is Keeping a Nation On Its Knees

Apr 12, 2008

Illegal pirate fishing is destroying the economy and quality of life in Sierra Leone, a country that loses US$29 million in revenue to due theft by foreign vessels.

Every year Sierra Leone loses approximately US$29 million in revenue to illegal pirate fishing. This is a substantial financial blow to a nation that is ranked among the poorest on earth and dubbed the world's "least livable" country by the United Nations. The effects of this theft are profound and touch every aspect of life in Sierra Leone.

What is Pirate Fishing?

Pirate fishing is illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. It is destroying communities and the environment in many coastal countries all over the world. In spite of it's status as one of the world's poorest nation's Sierra Leone has some of the richest fishing waters on the planet. However, with only one gunboat at the navy's disposal, Sierra Leone is unable to protect her waters. With no way to ward off the unscrupulous pirate fishing vessels that are depleting Sierra Leone's fish stocks, a tragedy is slowly unfolding.

A Socio-Economic Crisis

These stolen revenues could serve to alleviate poverty and reduce Sierra Leone's dependence on foreign loans. Pirate fishing only prolongs the national health and economic crisis facing this young West African nation. The CIA World Factbook estimates that 70% of Sierra Leoneans live below the poverty line and 70% of the population is illiterate. What that means in real terms is that 1 in 4 Sierra Leonean children die before their fifth birthday due to preventable diseases. 1 in 5 Sierra Leoneans live on less than a dollar a day, while access to clean water and electricity is extremely limited. In the face of such dire circumstances it is little wonder that the life expectancy for women is 42 years while the average Sierra Leonean man is not expected to live past the age of 38.

Bottom Trawling and Bycatch

Not only does pirate fishing result in millions of dollars in stolen revenue but the local price of seafood has been driven up because of the scarcity of fish.

CNN's Thomas Nybo says that local fishermen are "most worried about those fishing vessels that practice bottom trawling, which involves pulling a net through water behind boats. On a single pass, it can remove up to a quarter of an area's seabed life, and leave local fishermen...nothing to catch."

Large amounts of fish not targeted by pirate vessels are caught and killed by the trawlers. The non-targeted fish are called bycatch and often include protected species of fish. Each regular catch usually consists of approximately 70% bycatch.

All too often, fish that are perfectly suitable for consumption, but not marketable in the Las Palmas ports where pirate fishing vessels sell tons of stolen fish, are carelessly cast back in to the sea dead or dying. Non-endangered bycatch that could easily be sold to the local population, food that could nourish an impoverished nation, is wasted. Traditionally fish is an essential part of local cuisine but as a direct result of pirate fishing, fish consumption in Sierra Leone is rapidly declining.

What Needs to be Done to Put an End to the Theft?

First and foremost, the government of Sierra Leone will have to commit to cracking down on pirate fishing. This poses a challenge as Sierra Leone's navy has a only single gunboat and is simply unable to do the job of driving pirate vessels out of Sierra Leone's waters. Therefore, the government would have to reach out to international agencies in order to assist in protecting Sierra Leone's waters. With Europe losing a whopping EUR€1.1 billion per annum due to pirate fishing, the European Communities has a major stake in partnering with Sierra Leone in this matter.

On the local level, retailers should unite and demand a traceable history of the fish they sell. On a larger scale, the end of pirate fishing can only happen when govenrments work together and share information. For example, pirate fishing vessels that are repeat offenders should be named and shamed on public lists made available to national authorities around the world. This way they can be refused entry and services at ports. On top of sharing information, governments must also assume responsibility for boats from their countries by preventing pirate catch from entering the market and creating prohibitive penalties.

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