The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Haja Afsatu Kabba has said that government is expecting the European Union (EU) team this month to conduct inspection of facilities and vessels to meet the precondition for export of fish and fisheries products to the lucrative EU market.
Addressing a stakeholders consultative meeting on Joint Maritime Committee (JMC) at State House last Friday, she stated that in fulfillment of the EU requirements for fish export and products, her Ministry has complied with most of the requirements, including water quality tests, completion of pre-questionnaire and analysis for heavy metal to take place in Ghana.
Haja Afsatu Kabba reiterated that a major bottle neck is the lack of accredited fish health laboratory for fish health certification. She underscored the assistance of UNIDO in providing microbiological equipment.
The Minister stated that the EU fish project has contributed immensely in building the capacity of her Ministry’s personnel, the Competent Authority and other stakeholders in fish and fishery products handling and processing procedures including inspection of fishing vessels and fishing establishments. She noted that one of the serious challenges facing the development of the fisheries sector within the sub-region is generally the “ineffectual surveillance” system to protect our fish resources.
Haja Afsatu Kabba said that it is clear that huge potentials exist in this sector, but could never be realized with a weak fisheries surveillance system. “The 2003 fisheries policy objective clearly outlined the strategic framework for effective policing of Sierra Leone waters” she said.
As a result of lack of comprehensive surveillance system, “the generally held view is that Sierra Leone is losing significant revenue and valuable fish resources that inhabit deeper waters especially for deepwater fish and shellfish through illegal fishing operations”.
In recent years, she said that investment in the sector has been affected by the incidences of piracy, specifically in the northern borders of our territorial sea waters.
Outlining interventions by their partners to her ministry, the minister noted that the World Bank West Africa Regional Fisheries Project is a five year project focusing on governance, deterring illegal fishing and is scheduled to end by 2009 and is focused towards promoting sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources for wealth generation. She said that a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States government paved the way for the 1st US Coastal Guard Mission to conduct joint patrols of Sierra Leone territorial waters resulting in the arrest of IUU fishing vessel a Taiwanese Registered Tuna Long line fishing vessel.
She also spoke of her ministry’s collaboration with the Maritime Wing for implementing inshore operation with logistical support from the US and Chinese governments.
On the Africa Development Bank (ADB), she said that the Bank is financing the Artisanal fisheries development project to provide fuel and lubricant to the Maritime Wing for security patrols. The ERSG, Michael von der Schulenburg who co-chaired the meeting said that he is happy that the government has placed priority on protection of our territorial waters. He extended his institutions commitment to help the government especially in the fishery sector.
Deputy Minister of Finance and Development Momodu Sesay said that over the past 2 years revenue collected by the fishery ministry was small. The JMC, he said is very significant to the fishery industry in Sierra Leone. He pledged that his ministry will create a special budget to support the JMC.
A point presentation was done by the Acting Director of Fisheries Dr Mohamed Seisay on resources mobilization strategies for the Joint Maritime Monitoring Control and surveillance. Discussions and action points climaxed the meeting
By Abibatu Kamara
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