Home Regions Greenpeace report exposes  systematic loot of the Oceans

Greenpeace report exposes  systematic loot of the Oceans

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FMFO industry have been systematically looting the oceans while West African countries  are busy with emergency food distributions to local communities and fighting the Pandemic according to the latest Greenpeace Report. At least eight industrial fishing vessels have been engaged in questionable activities in the said period.

Foreign fishing vessels and the Fishmeal and Fish Oil (FMFO) industry have been systematically looting the oceans while West African countries like Senegal, Mauritania and The Gambia are busy with emergency food distributions to local communities and fighting the Pandemic according to the latest Greenpeace Report.

The report, “Seasick: as COVID-19 locks down West Africa, its waters remain open to plunder” has based its conclusions on observations of fishing vessels and FMFO factories during the pandemic lockdowns in Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania from March 2020 until end July. According to Greenpeace’s research,  largely based on data from the
Automatic Identification System (AIS) used for vessels worldwide, at least eight industrial fishing vessels have been engaged in questionable activities in the said period.

Dr Aliou Ba, Political Advisor for Ocean Campaign at Greenpeace Africa cautioned that West Africa’s declining fish stocks should be protected and secured to feed the people in the region, particularly at a time of looming food insecurity, as well as a global biodiversity crisis.
In the middle of the economic crisis, Fishmeal and Fish Oil industry is exploiting the situation using local fish stocks to produce food for pets, pigs and fish in the aquaculture industry around Europe and Asia at the expense of vulnerable populations in West Africa, he
warned. Activists also observed that continued operation of fishmeal factories during the lockdown can impact the supply of fish for local people and creates unfair competition.

Greenpeace report has recommended shutting down permanently the FMFO factories operating in West Africa except for the ones who exclusively use trimmings. It also advocated publication of the full list of vessels licensed to fish in all Sub Regional Fishery Commission (SRFC) countries, official status for women fish processors, and reform of
Senegal’s fishing licensing process. Finally, Greenpeace urged all governments in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region to adopt a sustainable regional management plan of fisheries.

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