Appalled by the incessant poaching of Africa’s aquatic resources by illegal foreign poachers, the former Chairman of Nigeria Fishing Trawler Owners Association (NIFTOA), Barr. (Mrs.) Margaret Orakwusi, has called on the European Union and the United Nations to stop the activities of foreign poachers exploiting Africa.
Orakwusi made this plea while presenting the lead paper at the 2019 Lagos International Maritime Week organized by Zoe Maritime Resources this week, as she frowned at the continued trend in poaching and illegal fishing by foreign vessels.
She alleged that there was an international conspiracy as major global regulatory bodies keep mum on the unregulated activities of poachers on Africa’s seas and oceans, while they also allow the illegal fishers unfettered access to sell their products in the international market.
Orakwusi who delivered a paper on “Africa’s Blue Economy – Innovation, Sustainability and Diversity” complained that Nigeria and other African countries have been losing billions of dollars annually as well as employment opportunities to fish poaching by foreign vessels.
“Some countries are coming in here and poaching our resources. That cannot continue because we are losing tens of billions of dollars annually. Bigger vessels come from all these world powers to poach on our resources and we may not be able to arrest them. The poachers have nothing at stake, they come to our waters, and they don’t care about the depletion of your natural resources. They fish in the most irregular and undocumented irresponsible manner and this has to stop”
“As far as I am concerned, there is a global conspiracy on this matter, especially Europe, America and Asia. For example, if you are trawling in Africa, for you to be able to sell one or two kilogram of your product anywhere in Europe, you must show you comply with international regulations of fishing in a responsible manner and approval given to export to Europe. The big question begging for answer is: where do these big countries find the market to sell the product they have stolen from our ocean? ” she queried.
Orakwusi who is also a board member of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), harped on the need to have a close season regime in fishing activities, whereby a specific period of the year is closed to trawling operations as part of effort to preserve the country’s resources in the oceans.
“We have no reason not to have a close period because that is what is happening all over the world. Our neighbours have close periods and we don’t even have the strength to stop poaching in our waters. So it is a free for all in our domain, when others have their own close season. Our fisheries laws have not taken that into consideration. I want to use this opportunity to ask relevant authorities to introduce this close season regime so that we can preserve our natural resources and common wealth in the ocean,” she said.
Earlier, the Convener of the event, Mrs. Oritsematosan Edodo-Emore noted that blue economy had become a topical issue across the globe, asserting that the conference would explore strategies to take advantage of the numerous potentials of the seas and oceans.
“In this conference, we shall consider what innovation has been used, is being used or can be used to expand Africa’s ocean economy. How Africa is sustaining her ocean economy and whether or not the ocean economy is diversified? If not, what has to be done about this? Nigeria is the focal point of this discourse because once Nigeria gets it right, this would galvanize development in the West and Central Africa and the entire continent” she said.
The event also saw six mentees matched with mentors in the maritime sector such as the Former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Barr. Temisan Omatseye and the Managing Director of Starz Group, Engr. Greg Ogbeifun; while Orakwusi bagged an award for her notable contributions to Africa’s maritime sector in the last three decades.
