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- Threat to aquatic life means a threat to the livelihood, Jamoh
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has sought partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities on Nigerian waters.
Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, who enlisted the additional support recently at a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Mahmood Abubakar, described IUU as a threat to the source of livelihood of legitimate fishing investors also decried exposure of the marine environment to avoidable pollution through such unlawful activities.
Jamoh explained that besides fighting piracy, sea robbery, oil theft and other maritime vices, the Deep Blue project, which enjoys the full support of President Muhammadu Buhari, also aims at preventing unlawful commercial activities like unregulated fishing in the nation’s waters.
He said the agency was also focused on preventing marine pollution, which threatens aquatic life and jobs of trawler operators, who have the requisite permits from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to embark on commercial fishing.
The Director-General, who also sought a closer working relationship with the ministry, urged the minister to key into the Deep Blue project considering the benefits it holds for agricultural investors in the marine environment.
Jamoh said the partnership became imperative considering the supervisory role being played by the ministry on fishing activities, adding: “We have been experiencing illegal fishing in our waters and the ministry assigned with the responsibility of issuing certificates of approval to conduct fishing, especially in commercial quantity, is the Ministry of Agriculture.
“We resolved to collaborate, cooperate, coordinate and communicate with each other in terms of the legality and illegality of fishing in our own waters by the international community and the minister assured us of support.”
Expressing readiness to work with NIMASA, Abubakar said: “We have the Department of Fisheries and the Quarantine Agency. We are ready to put together a formidable team that would work with the Deep Blue Project and we have the capacity of experienced staff that can participate and bring additional push to the project.
“We are aware of some of the issues concerning illegal fishing and already the ministry and department officials are doing something about that. I can assure the DG that we will get that put together soon.”
Under the Deep Blue Project, whose maritime security assets President Buhari commissioned earlier in the year, the nation’s waters would be protected from degradation due to pollution, exploitation and illegal fishing activities of unlicensed local and foreign operators.
