The Boat Owners Association, made up of over six hundred (600) artisanal fishermen across the country, has written a letter to President Julius Maada Bio expressing the rampant corruption and sabotage at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, spearheaded by the Director of Fisheries, Madam Jalloh.
The Chairman of the Association, Mr. Alusine Turay, told this medium that the Director of Fisheries is engaged in dubious activities that, according to him, undermine the growth of the sector.
He disclosed that, since the last APC regime, the Director of Fisheries, Madam Jalloh, has been engaged in certain nefarious activities in connivance with certain unscrupulous fishermen in converting resources or logistics procured by the World Bank and the Government of Sierra Leone, such as fishing gears and other fishing equipment.
Mr. Turay further noted that Madam Jalloh is a saboteur to the dreams and aspirations of the New Direction. He dilated on the current crisis facing fishermen, noting that the Ministry has tasked fishermen to pay one million five hundred thousand leones (Le1,500,000) as annual registration fee for their boats from the previous amount of fee of Le300,000 (three hundred thousand leones).
The Boat Owners Chairman continued that the Ministry is unnecessarily hiking the boat registration fee with the view to undermine Government and cause fish shortage in the country.
Investigations conducted by this medium have revealed that the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has, in January, 2019, engaged stakeholders in the fishing sector with a view to negotiate a new registration fees for artisanal boats and an initial fee of one thousand United States dollars (USD 1,000) was proposed. Amidst such disagreement some fishermen agreed to pay one million five hundred thousand leones as the new registration fee.
Several attempts by the Ministry officials to get the fishermen to comply with the new registration fee have failed. Fishermen at Tombo and Goderich have failed to comply with the new fees, and the Boat Owners general membership has written to President Bio complaining the Ministry for such anomalies.
The Ministry is currently implementing a close season in which industrial fishing has been put to a halt. This is to allow fishes to breed. Industrial fishermen have been asked to halt fishing and also provide Government with statistics of their stock.
Attempts to get the reaction of the Ministry, through its Public Relations Officer, have proved futile as we go to press.