Sierra Leone: Illegal Pirate Fishing
By: Fatima Younis,
Staff Writer
Sierra Leone, one of the world's poorest countries, has had its poverty caused by a growing number of illegal fishing trawlers fishing in the sea off the country's coast. Once a country of quickly rising development fueled by money brought in from local fishermen, pirate trawlers illegally over-fishing in Sierra Leone's waters have cut off the country's main source of money.
Fishing in the inshore exclusion zone, or IEZ, is considered a crime, and can cost the perpetrator tough penalties. The IEZ is an area reserved for fish spawning and breeding, and local fishermen know well enough not to go there. However, the pirate trawlers, in defiance of laws, choose to use the IEZ to fish. Not just that, but they also over-fish and damage local fishermen's nets to prevent them from making and benefiting from money. "Almost all local fishermen in the area have a story about illegally operating trawlers damaging nets or depleting fish stocks," reports Al-Jazeera's Juliana Ruhfus, after launching an investigation into the issue. "Illegally operating trawlers frequently destroy fishermen's nets which are very expensive to replace."
Thankfully, local and national authorities are working to capture the captains of the trawlers, and journalists from around the world are working to give this story larger media coverage.
Surveillance of an illegally operating trawler. (Source: theguardian.com)
Illegally operating trawler's supplies are often plenty. (Source: theguardian.com)
Illegally operating trawlers are often in bad condition. (Source: ejfoundation.org)
Works Cited:
"Pirate Fishing." Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera English, 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2012/01/201212554311540797.html>.