Experts in the maritime sector have called for more proactive measures to combat the negative effects of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing on Nigeria’s emerging blue economy. They emphasized that IUU fishing is a major threat to ocean ecosystems worldwide, undermining efforts to sustainably manage global fisheries and conserve marine biodiversity. The experts also noted that Nigeria’s position on the IUU Fishing Index highlights the need for stricter monitoring to improve the country’s ranking. The IUU Fishing Index is a tool designed to provide a clearer understanding of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing worldwide; it is a significant economic and social disruptor that harms the legal fishery trade and has been linked to organized crime.
Speaking at a Maritime Business Roundtable Breakfast Meeting on Fishing and Fisheries organized by Zoe Maritime Resources Limited in Lagos, Mrs. Ben Okonkwo, President of the Nigerian Trawler Owners Association (NITOA), warned that IUU fishing poses a direct threat to food security and socioeconomic stability in Nigeria. She explained that countries that depend on fisheries for food security and export suffer from the depletion of marine resources, and that IUU fishing reduces the chances of providing adequate measures for the sustenance of the ecosystem and the biodiversity of the marine environment.
Mrs. Nneka Obiayor, Secretary General of Women in Maritime of West and Central Africa (WIMoWCA), added that only 160 fishing trawlers are currently registered and flagged in Nigeria—a sharp decline from previous years. She highlighted the collaboration with the Federal Department of Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture, noting that vessels must obtain the necessary documents before registration and that any vessel over 100 GT must have an IMO number to fly the Nigerian flag. Obiayor also lamented the lack of a functional fishing terminal, recalling that Nigeria once had two in Akwa Ibom, and that the government had promised to revive one.
In her welcome remarks, Mrs. Oritsematosan Edodo‑Emore, Chairman of Zoe Maritime Resources Limited, stressed that Nigeria’s vast coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone contain immeasurable fish resources that could transform the economy if properly harnessed. She cited records showing a steady decline in local fish catch and production: domestic production fell from 600,000–700,000 tons in the 1970s to 38 tons in 1983, rose to 441,337 tons in 2000, and has not improved since. She attributed this decline to IUU fishing, with foreign trawlers sweeping the Nigerian coast of both sizable fish supplies and juveniles.
Dr. Olalekan Oguntade, Vice President of the Fisheries Society of Nigeria, called for up‑to‑date data on IUU fishing to analyze the extent of the menace and determine the best approach to address it. Meanwhile, Mr. Williams Akanbi, Chief Research Officer of the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), cautioned that some statistics released by international organizations are fabricated, as there have been no corroborating reports from the Nigerian Navy or the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to substantiate the alleged high degree of IUU fishing in the country.
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