LIBERIA: FISHERIES SECTOR UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONROVIA 001070

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W-AOKEDIJI, INR/AA-BGRAVES, AF/EPS, EB
AID FOR AFR/WA-SSWIFT
ACCRA AND DAKAR FOR FCS
LAGOS FOR AABDI

E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIS ECON ETRD ASEC EAID PGOV LI
SUBJECT: LIBERIA: FISHERIES SECTOR UPDATE


1. SUMMARY: Liberia's fisheries sector is seeking to improve
regulatory oversight and enhance monitoring and surveillance
capacity following years of illegal, unreported and unregulated
fishing activities that have damaged the fishing industry and raided
Liberia's abundant marine resources. Despite a rich marine
environment, Liberia imports much of the fish products it consumes,
and foreign operators who transship fish caught on the high seas to
other countries are undermining local production. The Bureau of
National Fisheries (BNF) is collaborating with the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other international stakeholders
to improve oversight and help revive the sector. Note: The value
of Liberian fisheries production is not available. End note. END
SUMMARY

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FISHERIES OVERVIEW
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2. Freshwater resources cover roughly 15,000 square kilometers (14
percent) of the total area of Liberia, comprising rivers, lakes,
lagoons, creeks and streams that drain to the Atlantic coast. The
Atlantic coastline spans about 580 kilometers, along which a
continental shelf averaging 35 kilometers in width provides fishing
grounds of almost 200,000 square kilometers. This Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) is endowed with more than sixty species of
marine resources, including shrimp, crab, lobster, tuna, shark,
croaker, and barracuda. According to the FAO, the fisheries sector
provides a means of employment and livelihood for 11,000 Liberians
on a full-time basis, and perhaps hundreds of thousands more on a
part-time basis. It is also a cheap source of animal protein for
the population, providing about 65 percent of the animal protein
needs of the country at the moment given the dearth of livestock.
Fisheries are also a potential source of foreign exchange and
revenue as export species such as tuna, lobster and shrimp abound.


3. Despite this abundance, fish product imports have risen quickly
from roughly 40 percent of domestic consumption in 2004 to almost 60
percent in 2006. Domestic production of fish was 6,373 metric tons
in 2006, while local consumption totaled 15,820 metric tons thanks
to imports of 9,447 metric tons. Local industrial producers
understate local production yields and figures by packaging fish
products on the high sea and transshipping them to other countries.
A pre-war FAO estimate for the sustainable yield of the continental
shelf of Liberia was about 180,000 tons per year, and 40,000 tons
per year for freshwater. Catch has however ranged between 10,000
and 20,000 tons per year over the last decade.


4. Liberian fisheries comprise both industrial and artisanal
sectors, which deploy distinct vessels and fishing methods.
Industrial companies operate a few dozen trawlers in both fishing
and shrimping operations. The artisanal fleet consists of a range
of indigenous canoes from 7-meter Kru canoes using oars or sails and
a 3-person crew to larger fifteen meter Fanti canoes powered by
25-45 hp engines and a crew of 15. There are currently five fish
importers, all of which are Lebanese-owned: West African
Enterprises; SHAM Incorporated; Caroline Foods; Cheautoui Brothers
and African Fisheries. According to Abdallah Hamdan, General
Manager of SHAM Incorporated, Europe and South America provide most
of the fish imports.

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FISHERIES CONSTRAINTS
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5. The fishery sector is beleaguered by structural and regulatory
constraints. The Bureau of National Fisheries (BNF) lacks
institutional and financial capacity and has struggled to formulate
and implement a National Fishery Development Plan. Liberia lacks a
basic fishery harbor to facilitate the discharge of cargo and
connection to distributors. Fish processing methods are primitive
and operational costs are high because of the high cost of inputs.
The aquaculture sub-sector remains underdeveloped due to the lack of
trained manpower, research and funding. Import duties and landing
charges for locally produced fish are also relatively high.


6. Meanwhile, the BNF also lacks the capacity to provide adequate
surveillance and monitoring of the sector. Irregular and illegal
fishing activities continue unabated, including clear violations of
non-trawling zones, illegal transshipments of fish and fisheries
products at sea, and use of unacceptable mesh and netting material
by both industrial and artisanal fishers. Because of the lax
surveillance and monitoring regime, Chinese trawlers engage in "twin
trawling," a practice specifically outlawed by the BNF. Illegal
transshipments to harbors in neighboring countries are a serious but
unmeasurable drain on Liberia's marine resources.

MONROVIA 00001070 002 OF 002




7. The government has reacted to illegal activities in Liberia's
coastal water by establishing a Surveillance Task Force. The Task
Force includes representatives from the BNF, Bureau of Maritime
Affairs; Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Finance, National
Port Authority, and United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
UNMIL has installed an Automatic Identification System (AIS) that
will provide real time surveillance and data collection capacity to
the task force. The system is undergoing testing and will be
installed in Monrovia and other cities along the coast. The task
force intends to procure a patrol vessel that will be used in
conjunction with the AIS. Liberia does not have a Coast Guard but
the GOL has established an inter-Ministerial Task Force to examine
the legal groundwork necessary to establish one, and the Ministry of
Defense is preparing a formal request to the United States for
assistance in assessing Coast Guard needs. [COMMENT: AIS only tracks
ships that have AID transponders. Fishing boats are not required by
the International Maritime Organization to have transponders and
thus AIS will not help detect illegal fishing. END COMMENT.]

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PROSPECT FOR THE FUTURE
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8. The revitalization of the fisheries sector is crucial and
enhanced surveillance and regulation will lead to more revenue
generation and job creation. The BNF in collaboration with FAO is
currently conducting a socio-economic survey and livelihood
assessment to determine the impact of fishing on communities close
to the sea and inland waterways. Yevewuo Subah, Deputy Director of
BNF, says the assessment will assist in determining how to engage
communities and formulate policies that are proactive in meeting
their needs. He noted that studies conducted in 2006 by the FAO
using the Norwegian government research vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen
to determine the stock status of Liberia's fisheries sector provided
useful data that point to Liberia's huge potential in the sector.


9. AGOA eligibility provides an additional opportunity for Liberia
to develop the export capacity of the fisheries sector, as will a
fisheries agreement with the European Union that is scheduled to be
negotiated before the end of 2007. Both public and private
investment is needed to rehabilitate port infrastructure to enhance
industrial fishing and install refrigeration equipment and landing
ports to accommodate artisanal fishers and increase their
efficiency. An enhanced regulatory environment should attract
foreign investment and build the capacity of Liberians to engage in
processing of fish products for export.

BOOTH