Senegal, Liberia ink MoU to curb illegal fishing

Senegal and Liberia Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding to curtail “illegal and unauthorized” fishing activities within their respective maritime borders.

Pape Sagna Mbaye, Senegal’s Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, and his Liberian counterpart Metieh Glassco signed in capital Dakar the agreement, which according to the Senegalese side, will enable the arrest in Senegalese international waters all Liberian-flagged vessels guilty of maritime crimes.

“If Liberian-flagged vessels engage in criminal practices and fall foul of the law, our vessels will be able to arrest them if they arrive in our waters,” Mbaye said following the signing.

Both countries, the Senegalese official added, through the agreement, will equally mutualize forces and speak in unison within international organizations that govern fishing activities around the world.

Illegal and unauthorized fishing is costing Senegal around over $25 million and Liberia over $328 million. Both countries also pledged to establish South-South and South-North cooperation to effectively combat the phenomenon which affects their fragile economies.