Fisheries monitoring gaining momentum in Nigeria

Inter-agency workshop addresses national fisheries

NIGERIA: The successful establishment of Nigeria’s Fisheries Monitoring Centre with stations in Abuja and Lagos was highlighted during a four-day, fisheries-focused interagency workshop in Lagos, Nigeria, last month.

Each station has four personnel to monitor a total of 142 vessels that are fitted with Vessel Monitoring Systems and AIS.

The workshop included input from the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) and the Technical Team (TT) of the West Africa Task Force – TM Tracking (TMT) and Stop Illegal Fishing (SIF).

Workshop participants discussed updates on national fisheries MCS and related activities, the FAO Agreement of Port State Measures (PSMA) implementation, the TT study on fish imports to Nigeria, and the outcomes of the MCS capacity assessment presented at WATF Meeting 13.

A plenary discussion was held to review more deeply and validate the national assessment results of the Nigeria 2022 MCS capacity assessment and ways to address the shortcomings it identified. Similar discussions were held on the outcomes of the study on fish imports, and the processes required through effective PSMA implementation to address the challenges it revealed.

Meeting attendees included representatives of Nigeria’s Federal Department of Fisheries (FDF); National Central Bureau (NCB) Interpol; Nigeria Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Nigeria Ports Authority; Nigeria Navy; Nigeria Agricultural and Quarantine Service; Marine Police and the Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Customs, and fishery consultants.

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