A former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Temisan Omatseye, has urged the agency to re-oxygenate the nation’s waters to attract more fish closer to the shore. Omatseye made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.
He also called on the Federal Government to address the issue of pollution in Nigeria, noting that there were significant oil spills in the nation’s water bodies.
“The oil spills are depleting the oxygen in the water, thereby driving the fish away.
“If local fishermen say they are not catching fish locally anymore, it is because there is so much pollution, and the fish are moving deeper into the sea.
“In this regard, local fishermen with smaller boats are unable to venture into deep sea waters.
“So, we need to re-oxygenate our waters so that the fish can come closer to shore,” Omatseye said.
He emphasised that the Gulf of Guinea is a rich fishery reserve, but Nigeria faces challenges due to foreign fishing trawlers taking over the country’s fish resources.
“The problem we are having is that many international fishing trawlers coming to catch fish in Nigerian waters are exploiting the fisheries under Nigerian quotas.
“Neither Nigeria nor any country in West Africa is catching these fish because these trawlers are equipped with fishing factories that allow them to stay at sea for six months, freeze their catch, then package and sell it to different countries.
“If you go abroad, you will see prawns in supermarkets labeled as Nigerian, but when Nigerian trawlers are spotted, they are attacked and their fish is stolen,” Omatseye explained.
He urged the government to empower and upgrade the School of Oceanography to international standards to enable Nigeria to regain its position on the white list.
In related news, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has outlined plans to revive moribund fish terminals in the country.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, said this during his visit to the Institute of Marine and Technology in Lagos.
According to him, discussions are ongoing with investors about a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement and the establishment of fish harbours across the country.
He also stated that plans were ongoing to ensure that stakeholders in the fishery business were supported and protected.
The minister emphasised the need to build local capacity and productivity to meet local consumption needs.
