Monrovia – The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), in collaboration with the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) and with funding from the European Union, held a one-day validation workshop in Monrovia over the weekend to review the findings of a recent study on small-scale fishers’ landing and smoking sites in Grand Cape Mount, Margibi, Grand Bassa, and Grand Kru Counties.
By Francis G. Boayue, [email protected]
The study, conducted as part of the Communities for Fisheries project, aims to support the sustainable management of fisheries by reducing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. It focuses on enhancing community co-management associations (CMAs) and strengthening their capacity for monitoring and reporting such illegal activities.
Dr. Emmanuel T. Olatunji, EJF/UL consultant, provided an overview of the study, explaining that it was designed to generate economic, social, and environmental benefits while promoting better reporting practices and empowering CMAs in Liberia.
He emphasized the importance of co-management, noting that it creates a sense of ownership for resource users and fosters cooperation between the government and local communities in managing fisheries.
The study also recommended key actions for agencies such as NaFAA, the Liberia Land Authority (LLA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Ministries of Internal Affairs (MIA) and Mines and Energy (MME), to help guide the mapping of Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries (TURF), landing, and smoking areas.
The validated report outlines various threats to fish landing and smoking sites and offers a baseline for securing these areas in Liberia. It also provides CMA TURF maps, which will aid in effective resource management.
Mr. Cephas Asare, the West African Regional Manager of EJF, highlighted that the validated report would play a critical role in securing sustainable livelihoods for small-scale fishers and protecting vital mangrove ecosystems that support healthy fisheries.
In his remarks, Mr. J. Cyrus Saygbe Sr., Acting Director General of NaFAA, praised EJF for its significant contribution to improving fisheries management and tackling IUU fishing in Liberia. He emphasized the importance of the workshop’s findings in strengthening the capacity of CMAs.
The workshop ended with an interactive discussion where participants provided feedback on the study’s findings, urging NaFAA and its partners to prioritize the protection of fishers’ landing sites to support small-scale fisheries and enhance food security in Liberia.