Fisheries and Aquaculture Journal
Open Access
ISSN: 2150-3508
ISSN: 2150-3508
Mathew Awotunde*
West Africa fisheries, considered as one of the most productive in the world, have been subjected to stress by distant fishing fleets since the 1950’s. Millions of people have been estimated to be dependent to a certain degree on fish as a protein source. These dependencies on fish makes these people vulnerable to changes in fish supply. This supply, has been declining over the years and has been attributed to Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing. Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing over the years has been responsible for estimated 40% of all fish caught from West African waters and over 54% of the region’s fish as a result overfishing and inaction. The effect of this activity cannot be overemphasized. These include adverse effects on ecosystems and food security, heightened tensions between and within countries and threats to economic interests and livelihoods. Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), block chain technologies and un-manned vehicle are technological tools that has been use in some developed countries to control IUU fishing. VMS provides data on the time-stamped location course and speed of vessels to fisheries authorities at regular intervals which allows for monitoring of all vessels fishing in a region at a particular point in time. A block chain is a continuously growing list of records, which are linked and secured using cryptography and has been implemented in the seafood Industries for traceability of IUU harvested fish. Un-mannered vehicle has been used to monitoring highly migratory fish species such as tuna and is considered very effective because of its key features such as decentralization. In conclusion, nowhere is that tragedy (IUU) more visible than in Western Africa. IUU fishing is destroying livelihoods, compromising food security and undermining prospects for transformative growth. Reversing the current cycle of destruction before fishery stocks are pushed beyond the point of no return is a priority that demands the highest levels of is that technologies.
Published Date: 2025-01-12; Received Date: 2024-07-21