Niger Delta Artisan fishermen decry influx of foreign fishing trawlers seek protection

Niger Delta Artisan fishermen decry influx of foreign fishing trawlers seek protection

Peasant fishermen in Niger Delta have decried the influx of foreign fishing trawlers into Nigerian territorial waters off the Atlantic coastline reserved for local fishermen.

The traditional fishermen under the auspices of Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN) said that the foreign trawlers were operating near the coastline illegally in contravention of international maritime laws.

The fishermen said that international convention reserved 25 nautical miles from the coastline to indigenous fishermen and solicited the assistance of the Nigerian Navy to ward of the intruding vessels.

Rev. Samuel Ayadi, Niger Delta Cordinatior of ARFAN said in Yenagoa on Tuesday that the fishing methods used by the foreign trawlers posed serious threat to local fishermen.

He said that industrial fishing was restricted to deep sea while the local fishermen were allowed to fish near the coast.

Ayadi said that rather than fish outside Nigerian waters the trawlers have invaded the coast line to damage the fishing nets of subsistence fishermen.

“The fishing practices of these big double decks trawlers is affecting local fishermen, they switch off their lights in the night and we run into them and they capsize our boats and we loose our catch in the process” he said

Ayadi noted that if the influx of the Chinese trawlers were not checked, they would soon deplete the fish stock since they kill fishes of all sizes including fingerlings, adding that they select the big fishes and polluted the waters with unwanted dead fishes.

“The trawlers are a big obstacle to fishing near the shores, they are over fishing and their nets sweep the ocean floor and damage our own nets and carry them away.

“Industrial fishing is supposed to take place in the high seas and not near the coastline.

“They are not supposed to to be fishing near the shoreline, the rule is that they should fish from at least 25 nautical miles from the coast but they have refused to comply”

He also appealed to the federal inland waterways authority to protect the interest of Nigerian traditional fishermen who lacked the resources to compete with industrial fishing vessels.