Monrovia, Liberia – The Government of Liberia through the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority and the Kingdom of Morocco through its Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forestry has launched the Commissioning of the Research Vessel for the Fish-Stock Assessment in Liberian Waters.
With funding from the World Bank, the Liberia Sustainable Management of Fisheries project got underway in 2020 with the goal of funding an extensive and impartial stock assessment.
The objective of this endeavor was to obtain up-to-date and precise scientific data regarding the stocks in order to inform national policy decisions.
The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NAFAA) Director General, Madam Emma Metieh Glassco, stated during the Commissioning Ceremony of the Research Vessel for the Fish-Stock Assessment in Liberian Waters that the performance of Liberia’s fisheries sector has suffered over the years due to a lack of scientific data, which is essential for informing management decisions and luring potential investment, particularly from the private sector.
According to Madam Glassco, the initiative’s commitment is appropriate given that, like other sister countries, Liberia aims to industrialize its fishing industry in order to give its people socioeconomic growth.
“Liberia, a post-colonial coastal state, enjoys a geographical advantage with a 579-kilometer coastline. Its pre-war years, namely the 1970s, saw the export of high-value shellfish, including shrimp and lobster. These high-value species were being sent to markets across the world, including those in Japan, America, and Asia.”
In comparison to other fishing nations, she bemoaned the fact that during the post-war era, the country’s fishing industry has been defined by artisanal and subsistence fishing, which produces lower returns.
The Fish Stock Assessment exercise, according to NAAFAA Boss, is essentially an endeavor to gather data on the abundance and distribution of different species of fish in Liberia’s waters with respect to their ecological significance and commercial value.
“Today represents a significant milestone in our endeavor to gather the necessary data about our maritime resources and guarantee their sustainable management. Our goal is to ensure that all relevant factors are taken into account, such as the fish stock’s taxonomy, breeding grounds, biomass, habitat, and distribution along our coast. We see this process as an opportunity to connect the economic viability of the whole chain to human development, improve livelihood opportunities, and maintain healthy fish stocks and catches that will support economic development and food security.”
“Let me stress once more how important data is to the management of fisheries. It matters a lot when choosing which fishery management strategy to use. We have managed our fish resources using a precautionary approach over the years in order to prevent overfishing.
Our capacity to participate in full-scale industrial fishing has been hampered by this gap. Depending on the findings of the research, I think that as we begin this exercise today, we are one step closer to entering the full commercialization arena.”
“We also expect that the study will survey the pelagic (mid-water dwelling species) and demersal (bottom dwelling species) fish resources of the continental shelf of Liberia with an emphasis on shrimps to determine the distribution and abundance of fish resources within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).”
However, the NAAFAA Boss expressed gratitude on behalf of the nation to the Moroccan government for their kindness toward Liberia, hoping that the independent stock assessment will galvanize efforts for conservation and sustainable fisheries management, as well as establish the marine resources of Liberia’s commercial viability.
