Watch out: Africa's newest threat is now fish grabbing

Addis Ababa, Thursday
Africa has failed to protect its water territory not only along the Somalia Coast but also in west and south.

This failure has caused massive exploitation and fish grabbing from Africa by the Western and Asian nations and companies, a pan-African maritime security gathering in the continent has revealed.

The two-day continental conference organised by the African Union in Addis Ababa was also attended by representatives from the United Nations and European Union.

And, top on the agenda of the continental forum was piracy and illegal fishing.

The African Union lamented that after decades after attaining independence, African countries were still losing sea resources, namely fish, to western nations.

Fish is the cheapest source of protein for millions of African poor communities.

AU peace and security director Mr El Ghassim Wane told says Africa has failed to enforce measures to defend its water territories. Poor information sharing experience among African nations also aggravates the situation.

According to United Nation Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Africa is losing billions of dollars a year from illegal fish grabbing. FAO cited a recently a growing trend of illegal fishing in eastern, western, and south western Africa.

Guinea from West Africa is the most affected from illegal fishing. The country loses about $100 million annually. Senegal and Liberia also severely affected while Angola from the SADC region loses $50 million.

In the eastern Africa region, Tanzania was listed as the most invaded.

Mr Alhaji Jallow, a senior fisheries expert of FAO in an interview with the Nation said illegal incursion in prohibited water areas and misuse of authorisation are now growing trends. He declined to name the invaders but hinted they are mainly from the West and Asia.

According to FAO, some 80 per cent of global fish stock was consumed in the last one decade. Currently 50 per cent of global fishing is illegal.

In July 2009, African Union leaders decided to device a mechanism to defend Africa’s water territory. The union is undertaking a strategy to develop a common position.

Somali Deputy Prime Minister Abdulrahman Aden Ibrahim Ibbi said besides the country being plagues by piracy, it is also suffering from illegal fishing and toxic chemical dumping since 1990’s.

Somali piracy was also on the agenda and AU once again expressed its disappointment on the western nations approach to deal with it. Mr Wane said piracy should be dealt with in a comprehensive manner. “Pirates are emerging from the land not from the sea,” he added.

Toxic waste

And, Somalia’s deputy PM, Mr Ibbi urged the international community to support the transitional government which is vital to dry the source of piracy.

According to the Somali government’s report to the AU, the European Union requires $150 million annually to fight pirates but the ransom for the same period is cheaper $ 30 million.

The number of armed pirates was only 300 in 2005 but now it has multiplied to nearly 1700.

According to the Aden Ibrahim, Somalia Islamist group al Shabaab is benefiting from the ransom money and at least 20 per cent of the money ends with Al -Shabaab officials.

Ransom provides an opportunity to pirates to sustain and own sophisticated weapons and high speed boats.

“You can’t stop pirates by deploying naval ships or patrolling the airspace unless you support peace effort inside Somalia” Aden Ibrahim said.

“The ransom money comes by helicopter and is dropped in to the sea by balloon, how do you believe that it’s not the idea of 16-year-old Somali boys?” He asked the gathering.