By This Is Africa on May 21, 2015 — Global campaigning NGO, Greenpeace, has released a damning report on the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices by Chinese Distant Water Vessels (DWFs) off the coast of the West Africa region
AFRIKA SCH 24 SCHEVENINGEN, a Dutch super trawler fishing 30 miles off the coast of Mauritania. Greenpeace is campaigning in West Africa for the establishment of a sustainable, low impact fisheries policy that takes into account the needs and interests of small-scale fishermen and the local communities that depend on healthy oceans. Photo: Greenpeace
A comprehensive report by international campaigning organisation, Greenpeace, has laid out detailed insights into destructive and illegal fishing vessels by Chinese DWFs vessels off the coast of West Africa.
According to the report, a significant amount of China’s own fishing resources have been seriously depleted due to decades of irresponsible fishing practices. This, in turn, attracted them to the West African coast where weak fishing management policies and laws ensure that they will exploit these natural resources with impunity.
Since 1985, Chinese DWFs have increased their presence in the waters from 13 vessels to over 460 vessels in 2013 operating in 13 African countries: Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola, Mozambique and Madagascar.
Over the years, numerous Chinese DWF companies have been found to be committing a wide range of offences. 183 documented cases from 118 vessels in 6 African countries have been reported in periods between 2000 and 2013.
These practices, the report says, pose a grave threat to the livelihood and food security of millions of Africans who depend on fishing for their survival.
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