The arrival of the vessels had sparked serious concern from small-scale fishers. The vessels would have been capable of taking over 12,000 tonnes of fish a year – nearly twice the nation’s sustainable catch of key species that local fishers depend on. It marks a turning point in the effort to protect West African small-scale fisheries and the ecosystems they depend on. On 12 June, six newly-built supertrawlers arrived in Liberia and promptly applied for licenses to fish in the West African country’s waters. Each supertrawler may be capable of catching over 2,000 tonnes of bottom-dwelling fish species a year, a key catch for local fishers.

Source: Front Page Africa October 13, 2020 08:48 UTC