NaFAA to Lunch ‘Special Taskforce’ to Tackle Illegal fishing in Liberia

Monrovia- The Director General of National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), Emma Metieh Glassco has disclosed plans by the institution to launch a task force for the purpose of tackling illegal fishing, mainly dynamite fishing by unscrupulous fisher folks in Liberia.

Madam Emma Metieh Glassco, Director General of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority, at an engagement said NaFAA is charged with the statutory responsibility to regulate the country’s fishing industry and vowed to do all she can under her watch for the sustenance of the sector.

NaFAA was created by an Act of National Legislation on October 9, 2017. It functions as a fully-fledged autonomous body pursuant to the Public Authorities Law of the Republic of Liberia.

Madam Glassco described dynamite fishing as a serious threat to sustainable fisheries management and called for a collective effort to put an end to it.

‘’NaFAA is now setting up a national compliance task force that would include the Ministry of Justice, the Liberia Coast Guard, the Liberia Immigration Service, and the community to deal with the situation,” she said.
Speaking on other methods of fishing considered illegal, the Director General said NaFAA was concerned about beach seine, a kind of destructive fishing method commonly known as ‘drawl-way’ in Liberia.

This type of fishing has been banned and called on local fishermen to desist from the practice.
Since her appointment, Madam Glasco and her team, with support from the Government of Liberia and international partners have been lauded for their efforts in transforming the sector.

Over the years, NaFAA has distributed internationally-approved fishing nets free of charge to fishermen in coastal cities to replace the rubber nets that have been used to engage in unsustainable fishing.
NaFAA has also given motorized engines free of charge to fishing communities across coastal counties in Liberia.