Liberian government called on to protect coastal waters

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The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has called on the Government of Liberia to ring-fence its six nautical mile exclusion zone (IEZ).

The IEZ has helped provide higher catch for artisanal fishers

This would safeguard its use for the artisanal fishers that rely on it for their livelihoods and ensure the supply of vital fish sources to Liberia’s food market.

“The IEZ has been a huge benefit for artisanal fishermen in Liberia. By stopping industrial trawlers from fishing in our coastal waters, it has meant we have seen a huge boost in fish catch and in turn an increase in our income,” said the Community Management Association from Robertsport - representing the fishermen in the region.

It added: “We, our families and the whole of Liberia depend on the IEZ for our food and our incomes and we urge the government to continue to maintain the zone and not to eliminate or reduce it.”

Since its introduction in 2010, the IEZ has helped provide higher catch for artisanal fishers and improved food security across the country.

Alongside providing a secure income for coastal populations, it has also seen a reduction in conflict between artisanal and foreign fishing crews, and protected the region’s coastal ecosystems.

But EJF recently learned these huge improvements are at risk as the Government of Liberia looks to either reduce, or eliminate, the IEZ.

Approximately 11,000 fishermen operate across 114 landing sites along Liberia’s 579km coastline, primarily fishing within the 6NM limit. Some 33,000 people rely on the artisanal fishing industry for their jobs and income, all of which would be put at risk by a reduction to the exclusion zone.

Reducing or removing the IEZ would see an almost inevitable rise of competition from foreign industrial vessels fishing in coastal waters, with much of the catch being exported to overseas markets.

This would mean a drop in the level of fish being supplied to Liberia and in the availability of fish products and an increase in the price of seafood.

Steve Trent, EJF executive director, concluded: “The six nautical mile limit is crucial to the well-being of hundreds of thousands of Liberians living in coastal communities and across the country.”