November 14, 2022

Africa is paying the price for illegal fishing

topic:	Overfishing
editor:	Bob Koigi

Globally one in every five fish caught is said to come from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing - a trade that has devastated economies, led to the loss of millions of jobs and decimated livelihoods.

Reports indicate that countries are losing up to $50 billion each year to this illicit trade, making it the third-most profitable natural resource crime after mining and timber. 

The UN has sounded the alarm over what it calls an ocean emergency, as over 90 percent of the world’s fishing stocks have been depleted or overexploited. IUU fishing is a key culprit, accounting for up to twenty percent of fishery catches.

Globally, almost 820 million people rely on fishing for their livelihoods, with fish consumption accounting for a sixth of the world’s population intake of animal proteins. IUU fishing has therefore dealt a blow to local fishing industries, driven communities into poverty, increased malnutrition and hampered the conservation of marine ecosystems.

Africa is one of the most-affected continents from this resource exploitation, losing an estimated $11.2 billion in annual revenue. 40 percent of the global illegal fishing happens in West Africa, for example, engendering uncountable adverse effects on both the economy and the ecosystem. 

The illegal trade comprised of large, foreign fishing fleets, mostly from industrialised countries, has been fanned by lack of international cooperation, lax enforcement policies, a limited or lack of resources by local authorities and poor legislation. 

That is why the first globally binding instrument to arrest, deter and eradicate IUU fishing by denying port access to vessels and trawlers that participate in such trade is a commendable move. Dubbed The Agreement on Port State Measures, PSMA, the pact has been signed by 100 states. 

The onus on the signatories to the agreement and the international community is to enforce it with action, vigour and commitment in order to arrest the menace that is threatening to illegally and unsustainably deplete this natural resource.

Photo by Krisztian Tabori

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