Nigeria, Norway Partner On Satellite Surveillance To Fight Illegal Fishing

The federal government has pledged tougher action against illegal fishing in Nigerian waters as Nigeria moves to partner with Norway on satellite surveillance to track suspicious vessels and protect the country’s marine resources.

Minister of marine and blue economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja when he received Norway’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Svein Baera, who visited to discuss Nigeria’s participation in the Blue Justice initiative.

The initiative provides participating countries with free satellite-based Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel-tracking data to strengthen maritime surveillance and combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Baera said the programme would give Nigeria access to real-time and historical vessel-tracking information to help authorities detect suspicious movements, identify vessels that evade tracking and investigate activities linked to illegal fishing and other maritime crimes.

He invited Nigeria to join the Blue Community, a network of countries participating in the initiative, noting that the arrangement would strengthen the country’s capacity to monitor its waters and enforce fisheries regulations.

The ambassador was accompanied by the second secretary for political and project development, Michelle Hovi.

Responding, Oyetola commended the Norwegian government for the initiative and its longstanding cooperation with Nigeria, assuring that the country would participate in the programme.

The minister expressed concern over the activities of foreign operators who illegally harvest fish from Nigerian waters, only for the products to be brought back into the country and sold at high prices.

“We cannot continue to allow foreign operators to exploit our marine resources illegally while our local fishers and businesses suffer the consequences. The federal government is determined to bring this practice to an end,” he said.

Oyetola said illegal fishing threatens the livelihoods of local fishing communities, deprives Nigeria of legitimate economic benefits and undermines the sustainable management of its aquatic resources.

He explained that access to satellite surveillance and improved intelligence sharing would help relevant authorities identify suspicious vessel movements, investigate suspected violations and strengthen enforcement against illegal operators.

According to him, protecting Nigerian waters is both an environmental responsibility and an economic necessity, particularly as the government seeks to improve the contribution of the marine and blue economy to national development.

“The protection of our waters is an environmental responsibility and an economic imperative. We must protect our fish stocks, safeguard the livelihoods of our fishermen and ensure that our marine resources contribute meaningfully to national development,” he added.

The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government was pursuing measures to increase local fish production, reduce dependence on imports, create employment opportunities and conserve foreign exchange.

Nigeria’s proposed participation in the Blue Justice initiative could strengthen the country’s ability to monitor fishing activities across its waters, particularly where vessels operate covertly or attempt to avoid conventional surveillance.