Sierra Leone’s Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Allieu Pat-Sowe recently expressed confidence that the effective implementation of the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests can contribute towards reduction of extreme poverty.
Pat-Sowe expressed confidence during a statement delivered at a stakeholder consultative workshop for the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security which was held at Leone Lodge, Aberdeen in Freetown.
He maintained that the implementation of the guidelines on tenure governance for the fisheries sector is important because the sector contributes immensely to national food security and poverty reduction.
The guidelines among others agitates for respecting human dignity, non discrimination of persons, equity and justice, gender equality, holistic and sustainable management of fishery resources, stakeholders consultation, participation and transparency, policy, legal and organizational framework including recognition and allocation of tenure rights in fisheries.
The Minister stated that the ministry has mainstreamed the Eco-system Approach to Fisheries management, working with the FAO supported EAF-Nansen project for improving the management of artisanal fisheries.
Pat-Sowe explained that the Ministry in line with the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries currently monitor all licensed fishing vessels using vessel monitoring system which is a satellite based tracking system that allows officials observe the position and activity of licensed fishing vessels in Sierra Leone’s waters.
He revealed that the 1994 Fisheries and Development Act has been reviewed into the fisheries Management and Conservation Bill of 2013 which will soon be sent to cabinet for approval and to parliament for enactment.
He stated that the Ministry has adopted co-management principles which ensure partnership and collaboration with stakeholder institutions and international partners in the area of governance including the establishment of marine protected areas which limit fishing access to certain areas and enhance profit for communities.
The Minister furthered said that the Ministry in collaboration with FAO has constructed twelve 400m2 fish ponds at four sites in Koinadugu and Kono District and also provided fifteen bags of fish feed imported from Brazil under the FAO project to strengthen fish farmers.
However, he stated that high level of illegal fishing, inadequate human resource capacity, inadequate official controls and infrastructure for value addition and export of fish to international markets, office space, funds for construction of fish harbor complex and limited asset to combat illegal fishing are the challenges to the implementation of the voluntary guidelines.
Awoko Newspaper