The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) has launched its fisheries patrol vessel to combat illegal fishing in the country’s territorial waters.
The launching of the fisheries vessel donated by the government and people of Wales, the United Kingdom took place on February 6 at the Montserrado Fishing Pier in Monrovia and was witnessed by First Lady Clar Weah, British Ambassador to Liberia David Belgrove and other government officials including those from the Liberian National Coast Guard.
Speaking onboard the patrol vessel, the Director-General of NaFAA, Emma Metieh Glassco, in a joyous mood stated emphatically that her entity, through the Liberia National Coast Guard, is well equipped to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities on Liberian waters.
Madam Glassco disclosed to reporters that the fisheries patrol boat is the biggest and has the potential to patrol the waters from Grand Cape Mount to Cape Palmas in Maryland County.
“Illegal fishermen’s days are all over because government now has the power to travel across the nine coastal counties with the help of the Liberia National Coast Guard in the fisheries patrol vessel. It is time for all fishermen to be in full compliance with the Liberian fisheries laws by ensuring that they pay to obtain their licenses and use the proper fishing gears to avoid being arrested by the Coast Guard,” she said.
The NaFAA Director noted that the fisheries patrol vessel has brought some level of relief to the Liberian fisheries sector as frequent patrols along the coastline will send a signal to those involved in illegal fishing that the government is about to bring their trade to an end.
The fisheries patrol vessel, the ‘Pride of Wales,’ arrived on the 24th of April 2019, and was docked at the Freeport of Monrovia for some days before landing at the Mesurado Pier under the supervision of the Liberia National Coast Guard. It is intended for the purpose of curbing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) on Liberian Territorial Waters.
On May 10, 2019 President George Weah dedicated and renamed the fishing patrol vessel from “Pride of Wales” to “FPV Lone Star”.
This news was Culled from The Observer
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