LAFA has suggested the need to manage Liberia's marine resources sustainably and protect them from destructive industrial fishing methods, such as industrial bottom trawling.
The Liberia Artisanal Fishermen Association (LAFA) has called on the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) to reconsider its plan to develop Liberia's industrial shrimp trawl.
In a statement issued in Monrovia, the group alleged that developing the industrial shrimp trawl fishery threatens the livelihoods, safety, and food security of over 57,000 artisanal fishers.
LAFA added that the plans also risk destroying Liberia's unique marine life.
In a communication authorized by LAFA president Jerry N. Blamo, Sr., the group asked NaFAA Director-General Madam Emma M. Glassco that Liberia's artisanal fisheries employ tens of thousands of fishers and fish workers.
LAFA explained that artisanal fisheries also provide food for coastal and inland communities across the country, suggesting that the sector should be prioritized in developing new fishing opportunities.
They want sector representatives to be invited to participate in this process from the outset.
"Artisanal fishing is the lifeblood of Liberia's coastal economy, central to national food security and a key part of Liberia's rich cultural heritage," LAFA argued.
"The fishing sector employs over 57,000 fishers and supports tens of thousands of fish processors and fishmongers, most of whom are women," LAFA continued.
The group indicated that almost 60% of Liberia's population lives on the coast and fish contributes to the animal protein needs of 80% of the total population.
LAFA stated that it is vital that Liberia's marine resources are managed sustainably and protected from destructive industrial fishing methods, such as industrial bottom trawling.
"However, new plans to develop an industrial fishery for deep-water shrimp threaten to undermine artisanal fishing in Liberia by destroying marine ecosystems on which artisanal fishers depend, increasing competition for marine resources and elevating the risk of dangerous vessel collisions," LAFA claimed.
The group noted that it was deeply concerned that the validation of the draft Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) would have far-reaching negative impacts on the artisanal fishers it represents.
LAFA warned that if the fishery proceeds as proposed, it will likely exacerbate the alleged overexploitation of the target shrimp species, resulting in missed opportunities to support the development of a domestic, small-scale, low-impact, high-value fishery.
"Furthermore, the fishery will drive unmonitored declines in non-target species and the destruction of fragile deep-water ecosystems."
It suggested that NaFAA allegedly has very limited data on their distribution, ecology, and sensitivity to repeated trawling, nor any marine protected areas to conserve vulnerable ecosystems from the impacts of industrial fishing.
LAFA cautioned that industrial trawlers within the 6 nautical mile inshore exclusion zone (IEZ) are also likely to impact key species assemblages on which artisanal fishers depend.
The group believes this would increase competition over resources and an elevated risk of vessel collision, posing significant threats to fishers' safety and economic security.
"Based on these concerns, we urge you to: Secure the Inshore Exclusion Zone for the exclusive use of subsistence, artisanal, and semi-industrial fishing activities up to 6 nautical miles as a minimum," LAFA pleaded.
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"The inshore zone must be reserved, without derogation, for artisanal fishers who depend on coastal resources for their livelihoods and food security," the group continued.
It asked NaFAA to prioritize the development of a fully domestic, small-scale, low-impact fishery for the resources within the 6-mile zone.
According to LAFA, a draft Fisheries Management Plan developed with support from the World Bank's US$40 million Sustainable Management of Fisheries Project sets out recommendations that would expand an industrial bottom trawl fishery for high-value shrimp worth $80 per kilogram.
"The FMP is based on data collected during experimental shrimp fishing that received domestic and international attention for breaching Liberia's fisheries laws," LAFA argued.
The FMP acknowledged that these experimental trawling activities did not collect sufficient data to assess the full impacts of shrimp trawling on Liberia's marine ecosystems or fisheries.
