Fisheries are a vital source of food and nutrition security and employment for tens of thousands of Liberians (upwards of 30,000 fishers and fish traders). This is particularly true for coastal communities and the small-scale fishing (SSF) sector or artisanal fishers who operate traditional canoes and open wooden boats. However, there has been a growing trend towards distant water fishing (DWF), where industrial foreign fishing vessels operate in Liberian waters, often with little oversight or regulation. While DWF can provide economic benefits for coastal States, it can also have negative impacts on marine ecosystems and fish stocks and the livelihoods and food security of local communities, especially when using indiscriminate fishing gear such as the primarily foreign-owned mid-water and bottom trawl fishery targeting shallow- and deep-water demersal fish species.
In a significant stride towards understanding and mitigating the impacts of distant water fishing on local coastal communities, Nathaniel I Kollie, a dedicated M.S. student in the Coastal Science & Policy Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, embarks on a crucial capstone project generously funded by the Marine Conservation Action Fund (MCAF) of the New England Aquarium. This project focused on examining the direct and indirect impacts of distant water fishing (DWF) on local communities’ livelihood and food security in Liberia to inform recommendations for National Fisheries and Aquaculture (NaFAA) and other interested actors. [Read more…] about Liberia National Network launches project on the impacts of distant water fishing on local communities
