Environmentalists call for adequate policies to regulate fishing in Nigeria

By Blessing Ituma

On the observance of unreported and unregulated fishing day, Environmentalists have called on government at all levels to come up with effective policies that would regulate fishing.

One of the Environmentalists, Engineer Kingsley Wogbidi in an interview in Rivers State said the ministries of agriculture, natural resources and environment can regulate the sector and put up adequate measures to sensitize and manage the locals against indiscriminate and hazardous fishing.

He lamented the occasional death of fishes along river banks in the Niger Delta region.

Another Environmentalist, Professor Hyginus Oku called for suitable policies that would enhance monitoring of what goes on the waterways.

 According to Professor Oku, the discharge of toxic wastes into the seas and rivers by ship operators or passengers poses great danger to marine lives.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities are responsible for the loss of 11–26 million tonnes of fish each year.

The day of unreported and unregulated fishing was observed for the first time in 2018.