In view of the global evaluation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) that will be carried out by the Commission in 2021, the author highlights the key points which will need to be assessed from the perspective of the impacts on African coastal communities. The author also suggests essential improvements to be made for the future of SFPAs so that they better respond to the needs of these communities.
After repeated illegal operations by vessels of Italian origin in Africa, the author reviews the European legal framework and recommends that the European Commission be stricter with Member States when they fail to control and sanction their vessels operating in third-country waters. The Commission should also provide a better framework for reflagging.
Tensions between Sierra Leone and Guinea Conakry around the arrest two weeks ago by the Sierra Leone navy of eight Guinean nationals, including military, police and fisheries inspectors, are still running high.
Sierra Leone says the Guinean nationals carried out a pirate attack on two Chinese fishing vessels licensed to fish in their waters. The Guinean boat was arrested well inside Sierra Leone waters, and the men on board were found with AK-47 automatic rifles and bags of high value fish taken off the two locally-licensed Chinese fishing vessels, the Lian Run 23 and the Lian Run 24. According to Guinean authorities, the men were on a legitimate fisheries protection patrol, although they couldn’t explain what the Guineans were doing within Sierra Leone’s waters.
"That incident shows there is an urgent need for increased cooperation between West African States", said Hélène Bours, expert on illegal fishing for the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements (CFFA). "If, as would appear from reports received, the Sierra Leone story is correct, this would be a good example of gamekeeper turned poacher. It strongly supports arguments for addressing governance issues and corruption as a matter of priority, rather than simply providing fast boats and other control assets and simply expecting them to be used effectively by the relevant authorities." declared Tim Bostock, Fisheries Support Programme Coordinator for the UK Department for International Development.
