MONROVIA – In 2021, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), the government agency responsible for managing Liberia’s fisheries sector, announced and initiated a program to distribute thread nets to fishermen in exchange for rubber nets. The aim of NaFAA’s net distribution initiative was to encourage fishermen in Liberia to abandon the use of rubber nets, which a 2017 research by the International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies says are widely used in African artisanal fisheries because they are relatively inexpensive and effective, but contribute to ghost fishing and the destruction of juvenile fish populations. The study revealed that the introduction of rubber nets has intensified the exploitation rates on the ocean and a ban on the use of such destructive gillnets is a vital management intervention.
By: Rita Jlogbe Doue, Contributing Writer
However, it has come to light that despite NaFAA’s net exchange program introduced approximately two years ago for hundreds of fishermen in Liberia’s nine coastal counties, recent investigations revealed that many fishermen have reverted to using rubber nets again.
Banjor, a thriving fishing community in Montserrado County, is in District #17, near King Faro and Hotel Africa Road. Abednego T. Browne, the community’s sea chief and a seasoned fisherman with over a decade of experience stated that they currently use rubber nets for fishing despite the negative impacts it has on the environment. Browne believes that these rubber nets, also called cargo or monofilament nets, are the preferred choice for fishing because they yield more fish than traditional thread nets.
George W. Nimely, a 48-year-old experienced fisherman from the West Point community in Monrovia, agreed with Browne’s concern over the use of rubber nets. However, Nimely specified that the high taxes imposed by NaFAA have forced fishermen to use rubber nets to meet their tax obligations.
“The Liberian government is not doing anything for us, we; the fishermen are the ones benefiting the country. We are not getting anything from the government like marine stores. We are buying our own things, and at the same time, the taxes are too much,” Nimely angrily narrated from a fishing site in West Point community.
He explained that the annual tax amount charged to a paddling canoe was initially LRD$ 1500 (US$ 7.83 approx.), but NaFAA has increased it to LRD$ 9575 (US$50 approx.), which is a significant burden on fishermen.
Nimely emphasized that these high taxes contribute to the problem, and fishermen cannot afford to switch to thread nets, which are environmentally friendly, if they want to pay their taxes. “You can’t tell me to change my net; thread net can’t catch fish. How will I pay my taxes? So, I will continue using the rubber net.”
Browne said while fishermen may prefer to use rubber nets, he believes that the government should address the issue by “eliminating the cargo or rubber nets entirely and reducing the taxes for fisher folks.”
For Isaac Wheagba of Timbo Kru Town in River Cess County, most fishermen are using the rubber net because it is less expensive and can catch more fish as compared to thread net, which is sold for about LRD$ 84,600 (US$450 approx.) and is too expensive.
Wheagba said the thread nets that NaFAA distributed were inadequate for the number of fishermen in the area. ‘If the government provides enough thread nets, we will use it,” he added.
Matthew Boye is a seasoned fisherman with more than 15 years of experience from Fanti Town Community in Grand Bassa County, renowned for its high landed catch.. Boye’s perspective echoes that of fellow fishermen in Montserrado and River Cess counties, who are grappling with a common dilemma.
“When you use a rubber net, you can generate more fish than the thread net, but the thread net is good because at least it will not drive the fish,” Boye said.
While acknowledging the rubber net’s superior catching capacity, Boye raises concerns about its durability. He points out that the thread net, despite its lower performance, remains functional for an impressive four to five years, in stark contrast to the rubber net’s single-season lifespan. This revelation brings to light the complex choices faced by fishermen, prompting a wider discourse on sustainable fishing practices in the region.
Experts emphasize the crucial role of effective management in Liberia’s fisheries sector to improve the country’s fish consumption rate. Currently, Liberia has one of the lowest fish consumption rates in West Africa. Reports from USAID and ECOWAS highlight that the average per capita annual consumption of fish and shellfish in Liberia is estimated to be 5.0 kg, significantly lower than neighbouring countries such as Sierra Leone (25.3 kg, 55.8 lbs.) and Guinea (10.5 kg, 23.1 lbs.). Fish ranks as the second most purchased food commodity in Liberia and contributes approximately 15% of the total animal protein supply. It is imperative to increase the consumption rate by effectively managing the sector to prevent the depletion of Liberia’s fish stocks and over-reliance on imported fish.
“The decline in the health of the ocean, there are several factors responsible,” says Jerome Nyenka, the University of Liberia’s Assistant Professor of Forest Economics, Forest Carbon and Climate Change. “Fisheries significantly contribute to the pollution of the ocean . If the sector is not managed properly, it will increase the pollution potential from the sector,” said Nyenka, while contributing to this research ‘Scientific Reports’ by The Ocean Clean-up, which indicates 75% to 86% of Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) plastic is attributable to offshore fishing and aquaculture activities, backs Nyenka’s assertion. The research found that “a large fraction of the plastic mass accumulating in these offshore waters is carried by a few objects made in the vast majority of floating nets and ropes, several meters in size.”
Austin Wehye is the Director of Statistics and Research at NaFAA .
He said “the 2021 NaFAA net exchange program was backed by laws which prohibit the use of rubber/monofilament nets in the sea.”
Wehye identified two key legal instruments that authorise NaFAA’s actions: the 2010 fisheries and aquaculture regulations, which ban the use of monofilament nets, and the 2019 fisheries and aquaculture management and development law.
Despite the existence of these laws, NaFAA admits to facing challenges in enforcing them. “Our people have been using monofilament and rubber nets for a long time in the fisheries sector. We recognize the urgent need to eliminate their usage but to achieve this, we must first raise awareness and provide adequate incentives for fishermen to transition to legal nets, such as multifilament or thread nets,” explained Austin Saye Wehye.
He said that, unfortunately, NaFAA currently cannot compel fishermen to adopt the legally recognized thread nets due to a limited supply of such nets in the country. “We are looking for a way in which our president can issue an executive order that waives taxes on most of these fishing inputs like fishing gears. If we have companies that are bringing in those legal nets; then we can say, but for now, what we are doing is encouraging our people to use the multifilament nets,” Wehye said.
This constraint further hampers their enforcement efforts. It is crucial that NaFAA takes proactive measures to address this issue by actively seeking partnerships and exploring avenues to increase the availability of thread nets. By doing so, they can promote the responsible and sustainable fishing practices necessary for the protection and preservation of Liberia’s marine resources.
Responding to fishermen’s concerns about the limited supply of thread nets, Wehye said the net exchange program was a pilot, and NaFAA does not have the money to change all the nets. He revealed that the pilot was meant to show fishermen the rightful net and tell them it was the way to go. “If you do this, you will have more fish in the future and increase your productivity; that is what we’ve been doing,” Wehye narrated.
He termed as a myth assertion that the rubber net catches more fish as compared to the thread net. “The thread net is a sustainable way of fishing,” he said. “Now the risk of fishermen losing their nets at sea is very high, and if they continue to use the monofilament nets, what will happen is there will be a decline in the stock size.” Wehye continued.
He stressed the need to dialogue with fishermen to own the fisheries sector. “They need to see fishing as their own job and even own the water and properly manage it.”
As fishermen now complain of smaller catches, it remains unclear when the Government will enforce the use of the multifilament net for sustainable fishing in Liberia.
This regression highlights the need for increased efforts by NaFAA and other relevant authorities to educate and engage with fishermen on the long-term benefits and sustainability of using thread nets instead of rubber nets.
Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), an international non-governmental organisation working to promote legal and sustainable fisheries in Liberia, also disclosed in one of their recent reports, that in some fishing communities, local fishers do not understand that their actions, i.e., using illegal monofilament nets, constitute illegal activities and affect catch levels and the food and nutritional security of coastal communities. It is important to note that these coastal communities are also experiencing the global climate crisis, “facing rising sea levels, coastal erosion, ocean acidification and increasing sea temperatures – all of which exacerbate their vulnerability to fisheries declines and further undermine livelihoods and food security” as reported by EJF’S Ocean Manifesto. To address this, EJF recommends the need for robust and continuous awareness in the fishing communities to improve the understanding of fishers of what constitutes Illegal fishing and the negative effects of illegal fishing.
Research shows that using multifilament nets instead of monofilament nets for sustainable fishing offers several benefits:
Multifilament nets have smaller mesh sizes compared to monofilament nets, which reduces the capture of non-target species and promotes more selective fishing practices. They are also more durable and less likely to break, which reduces the problem of ghost fishing. The longer lifespan and higher efficiency of multifilament nets provide better economic returns for fishermen, contributing to the sustainability of small-scale fisheries. Additionally, multifilament nets are often made from biodegradable or eco-friendly materials, minimizing their environmental impact and aligning fishing practices with sustainable approaches.
To achieve these benefits, a report by EJF recommends that NaFAA strengthens collaboration with traditional fisheries governance structures and fisheries collaborative management associations (CMA) to address this challenge at the community levels. They reported that CMAs in Liberia have succeeded in improving unity amongst fishers, aiding conflict resolution, combating illegal fishing, and leading rescue missions, and also calls for NaFAA to establish CMAs in all fishing communities in Liberia to support local fisheries governance and combat illegal fishing activities.
Consequently, it is vital that NaFAA adheres to FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report No. 932 action point for policy and management which states that “any fishing activity qualifying for the adjective of “destructive” is incompatible with sustainable use and breaches all international instruments and agreements based on the UN Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC), including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It is therefore States’ responsibility to limit the risk of destructive use to the minimum.” By doing so, they can promote responsible and sustainable fishing practices necessary for the protection and preservation of Liberia’s marine resources.