Nigeria loses an estimated $450 million annually to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, prompting the Federal Government to partner with Norway to strengthen maritime surveillance and protect the country's fisheries resources.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja when he received Norway's Ambassador to Nigeria, Svein Baera, who introduced the Blue Justice initiative.
The programme provides participating countries with free real-time and historical satellite-based Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel-tracking data to detect suspicious vessel movements, identify vessels evading surveillance and strengthen enforcement against illegal fishing.
Oyetola assured Norway of Nigeria's participation, saying illegal fishing undermines local livelihoods, threatens fish stocks and deprives the country of legitimate economic benefits.
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He expressed concern that foreign operators illegally harvest fish from Nigerian waters before returning the products to the domestic market for sale at exorbitant prices.
"We cannot continue to allow foreign operators to exploit our marine resources illegally while our local fishers and businesses suffer the consequences. The Federal Government is determined to bring this practice to an end," he said.
The estimated annual losses highlight the economic consequences of illegal fishing, which threatens jobs and investment across the fisheries value chain, including fish processing, storage, transportation and distribution.
Oyetola said satellite surveillance and improved intelligence sharing would strengthen enforcement, while the Federal Government was pursuing measures to boost local fish production, reduce import dependence, create jobs and conserve foreign exchange.
The Norwegian ambassador said Nigeria's participation in the Blue Community, a network of countries involved in the initiative, would strengthen its capacity to detect suspicious maritime activities and combat illegal fishing and other maritime crimes.
