Sierra Leone Community Fisheries
By Thomas Siddiqui, Bonthe Master Fisherman
“As fishermen in the Sherbro River Estuary, our livelihoods come from the fish we are able to catch using our dugout canoes. We target species such as grouper and catfish. Until recently, our catches have been declining in the Estuary and we were afraid to take our boats into the open sea, as trawlers from other countries were fishing illegally and unsustainably in the Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ) of Sierra Leone. They were ruining our fishing gear, taking away fish from fishing grounds reserved for us and preventing fish from entering the Estuary. We lacked the resources to effectively control and monitor fishing activities in our waters and the decline in the fish catches was resulting in a direct loss to local fishermen.
In order to combat this problem, we collaborated with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, the NGO Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), and local authorities to develop a community surveillance programme. Two years ago, a new EJF funded surveillance vessel was launched to patrol the IEZ along Sierra Leone’s coastline. We alert the vessel to any irregular activity and they record that activity and collect evidence that is used towards the arrest and hopefully prosecution of illegal fishers. They have now purchased a bigger, faster boat.
In March 2011, information from us and the patrol boat led to the seizure of £4 million worth of fish in Las Palmas, Spain; I’m told this is the largest seizure of suspected illegally caught fish since new EU regulations came into effect two years ago. It is still early days, but we have already seen a real drop in foreign illegal trawlers since the patrol boat started to operate. Community reports show a significant decline: between April and June 2011 there were only 4 reports of illegal trawler activity, compared to 32 during the same period in 2010.
Not only are our interests and livelihoods being protected but the initiative has also recently generated government revenue in excess of US$ 150,000 as a result of a fine issued after the observation of illegal activity in the Sierra Leonean IEZ.
Although we lack detailed catch data, we are already noticing an improvement in catches in the Estuary. A catch reporting scheme has recently started which will provide us with better data in future years. We are already more confident to fish outside of the Estuary in the areas where we used to be afraid of losing our nets due to the activities of foreign trawlers.”
Vital Statistics
Species: All species in the Inshore Exclusion Zone e.g. pelagic species such as the sardines, bonga and mackerel species
Fishing method/gear: Artisanal, dugout canoes with nets
Country: Sierra Leone
Ocean: Atlantic
Fishery tonnage: Data not available
Main markets: Local domestic: Bonthe, Yargoi and Bo
| Before intervention/s – pre 2008 | Transition | After intervention/s – current | ||||||
|
Economic indicator/s (e.g. Total value of catch, or fish prices/kg) |
Social indicators (e.g. Average wage of crew) |
Environmental indicators (e.g. Status of stock) |
Fleet indicator (number of vessels or licenses) |
Cost of interventions (Estimate of the financial costs) |
Economic indicator/s (e.g. Total value of catch, or fish prices/kg) |
Social indicators (e.g. Average wage – of crew) |
Environmental indicators (e.g. Status of stock) |
Fleet indicator (number of vessels or licenses) |
|
Artisanal catch: 65, 758 Mt (2003) Fish smoked and dried for consumption and some local trade |
Greater cost to fishers due to damage to gears but fishery is not a paid job it is a livelihood option | Assumed threatened | About 8,000 in whole small scale sector |
GBP 120,000This covers the initial buying of the boat (15,000 GBP) and some other equipment GPS, computer etc and then running costs of project since start
An annual running cost figure would be about 10,000 GBP |
Artisanal catch: 112, 653 Mt (2010)There has been an increase in the artisanal catch
This intervention has improved the safety of fishers and their gear and reduced pressure on stocks. Most fish are consumed locally or sold smoked on local market |
Average wages:Better fishing conditions, less danger and less fear | Status of stock:Very hard to say as not assessed at all | No. vessels:Open access so assumed to be still around 8,000 |
