As part of the West Africa Task Force (WATF) initiative of the FCWC, the National Working Group (NWG) of Liberia held its first workshop in Monrovia on 21st July 2016.

Speaking at the workshop Mr. Yevewuo Z. Subah, Coordinator of the West Africa Regional Fisheries Project for Liberia, expressed Liberia’s willingness and preparedness in combating illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUU) within its waters.

Mr. Subah explained that Liberia was greatly impacted by IUU fishing during the country’s decade long civil war, and revealed that the country alongside its international partners has managed to put the situation under control to some extent.

“Now we’re standing but there is still lots to be done, it cannot be done by only one country; it cannot be done by only one region, but requires the collective effort of the whole world involvement,” he said.

“So collaboration, exchange of information, exchange of intelligence will help us go a long way in achieving objective of the West Africa Task Force” he added.

The workshop highlighted the lead taken by Liberia in making fishing licensing information publically available. Per Erik Bergh, Stop Illegal Fishing, commented “Liberia have been a real pioneer in increasing transparency in the licensing process. By making all issued licenses available online it makes it harder for illegal operators to fake license information.”

The workshop was attended by a range of agencies that are involved in fighting illegal fishing in Liberia including the Liberia National Police, Armed Forces of Liberia Coast Guard, National Bureau of Fisheries, APM Terminal, Liberia Maritime Authority and the International Sea Port Security (ISPS).

Mr Seraphin Dedi, FCWC Secretariat, stressed the importance of effective interagency cooperation in tackling illegal fishing “the West Africa Task Force is providing a platform for building good cooperation and communication between the relevant agencies at a national level. This will be crucial in dealing with illegal operators and will increase our ability to intercept and disrupt illegal activity.

The workshop was organised by the West Africa Task Force Coordination Team who comprise the FCWC Secretariat, TMT, Stop Illegal Fishing and NFDS, with funding support from Norad.