Nigeria and Norway are set to collaborate on satellite surveillance of Nigerian waters to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and protect the country’s marine resources from exploitation.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, gave the assurance on Monday when Norway’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Svein Baera, visited him in Abuja to discuss the Blue Justice initiative, which provides participating countries with free satellite-based vessel-tracking data.
According to a statement issued by Bolaji Akinola, Special Adviser to the Minister, Oyetola assured the Norwegian government that Nigeria would participate in the initiative to strengthen maritime surveillance and enforcement against illegal fishing.
The initiative’s Blue Justice Ocean Surveillance Programme provides real-time and historical vessel-tracking data, enabling authorities to monitor maritime activities, investigate suspicious vessel movements and identify ships that evade tracking.
Baera invited Nigeria to join the Blue Community, a network of countries participating in the initiative, to enhance its capacity to detect suspicious vessels and tackle illegal fishing and other maritime crimes.
He said the programme would support Nigeria’s efforts to protect its fisheries resources, improve maritime surveillance and strengthen enforcement against illegal operators.
Responding, Oyetola commended Norway for the initiative and its longstanding collaboration with Nigeria, saying the Federal Government was determined to stop foreign operators from illegally exploiting the country’s marine resources.
“We cannot continue to allow foreign operators to exploit our marine resources illegally while our local fishers and businesses suffer the consequences. The Federal Government is determined to bring this practice to an end,” the minister said.
Oyetola expressed concern that foreign operators illegally harvest fish from Nigerian waters and subsequently return the products to the country for sale at exorbitant prices.
He said illegal fishing undermines the livelihoods of local fishers, deprives Nigeria of legitimate economic benefits and threatens the sustainable management of its aquatic resources.
The minister added that satellite surveillance and improved intelligence sharing would strengthen the government’s ability to identify suspicious maritime activities and enforce fisheries regulations.
“The protection of our waters is an environmental responsibility and an economic imperative. We must protect our fish stocks, safeguard the livelihoods of our fishermen and ensure that our marine resources contribute meaningfully to national development,” he said.
Oyetola also disclosed that the Federal Government was pursuing measures to increase local fish production, reduce dependence on imports, create jobs and conserve foreign exchange.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing remains a challenge to the sustainable management of marine resources, depriving coastal communities of income and undermining efforts to regulate fishing activities.
The proposed collaboration is expected to provide Nigerian authorities with additional vessel-tracking information to identify suspicious maritime activities and strengthen efforts to protect the country’s fisheries.
Baera was accompanied on the visit by Michelle Hovi, Norway’s Second Secretary for Political and Project Development.