ADF STAFF
Armed members of Benin’s Navy have arrested an industrial trawler for illegally fishing in an area reserved for artisanal fishermen. Sea Shepherd Global, which works with several West African countries to eradicate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, assisted the authorities.
A Sea Shepherd vessel was en route to Benin’s Port of Cotonou when it spotted the trawler fishing in water just outside the Bouche du Roy Ecological Reserve, home to lush mangroves and lagoons critical to native fish populations.
“The trawler was flagged to Benin, but I believe that the beneficial ownership is Chinese,” Peter Hammarstedt, Sea Shepherd’s director of campaigns, told ADF, adding that three of four trawlers arrested in the same area last year were Chinese-owned.
For several nights, Sea Shepherd’s crew used night vision equipment to watch the trawler with its fishing gear in the reserve. Officials made the arrest October 29.
Due to port sizes, industrial trawlers in West African countries often are berthed near local authorities, sometimes sharing the same dock.
“As such, every time that a Navy asset leaves port, [industrial] fishing vessels receive advance warning that a patrol is underway,” Hammarstedt said in an email. “Since a Sea Shepherd vessel arrives by sea, from a foreign port, starting a patrol with a reconnaissance mission allows for the retention of the element of surprise.”
As of 2013, there were roughly 50,000 artisanal canoes in Benin, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The area around the reserve is home to nearly 2 million people in Benin and Togo. According to Sea Shepherd, the reserve’s waters are rich in migrating tuna and humpback whales.
Benin partnered with Sea Shepherd last year and has maintained maritime patrols throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Benin is certainly a regional leader in the fight against IUU fishing,” Hammarstedt said. “The Maritime Commissioner is very driven to eradicate IUU fishing from Beninese waters.”
Since 2016, Sea Shepherd also has worked with the governments of Gabon, Liberia, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania and The Gambia. The partnerships have led to the arrests of 55 vessels for illegal fishing and other fisheries crimes, according to Sea Shepherd.
Around West Africa, IUU fishing deprives locals of food and income and decimates ecosystems. China is the world’s worst IUU fishing offender, according to an index developed by Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
It is estimated that IUU fishing and other illegal marine trade could cost West African countries “nearly $1.95 billion across the fish value chain and $593 million per year in lost household income,” according to The Africa Report.
Roughly 7 million West Africans depend on fishing for income, and up to 50 million are at risk of food insecurity and malnutrition. This means any disruption to the availability of seafood can have a drastic impact on the health and economic security of people in the region.