The Cross River State Government has pledged to investigate allegations of Illegal Fishing by Foreign Nationals following claims that foreign commercial fishermen, allegedly aided by armed Fulani herders, have taken control of sections of the state’s waterways, preventing indigenous fishermen from accessing their traditional fishing grounds.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Johnson Ebokpo Jr., gave the assurance while responding to complaints from local fishing communities who alleged that foreign operators were carrying out large-scale commercial fishing activities in Cross River’s coastal waters.
Key Highlights:
- Cross River Government launches investigation into allegations of Illegal Fishing by Foreign Nationals.
- Local fishermen allege foreign operators have taken control of traditional fishing waters.
- Commissioner says government will verify claims and take appropriate action where necessary.
- Fishermen allege exclusive fishing rights are secured through agreements with some community leaders.
- Community leaders claim illegal fishing operations contribute to food shortages and loss of livelihoods.
- Government assures affected communities that the allegations will be thoroughly investigated.
Speaking on the matter, Commissioner Johnson Ebokpo Jr. said the state government would verify the allegations before taking any regulatory or legal action.
“I am aware that foreigners, including Ghanaians, engage in commercial fishing in the Escravos, Bonny, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta waterways. However, if such activities have extended into Cross River’s local waters, we will certainly investigate,” he said.
The commissioner’s response followed growing calls from local fishermen urging the government to enforce existing fishing regulations and prevent potential conflicts between indigenous fishing communities and those they described as illegal operators.
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Several fishermen alleged that they have gradually been denied access to rivers and fishing areas that have traditionally sustained their livelihoods.
The concerns were also raised during a live phone-in programme on FAD FM, where callers accused foreign fishing operators and their local collaborators of monopolising sections of the state’s waterways.
Speaking during the programme, a fisherman at Nsidung Beach in Calabar South, Ani Eteyen, said he has worked as a fisherman for more than three decades but claimed that local fishermen are increasingly being shut out of their traditional fishing zones.
According to him, some foreign fishing operators allegedly enter agreements with certain community leaders to secure exclusive fishing rights over designated river channels for periods of up to three months.
“Sometimes they pay local leaders to allow them fish in certain areas for as long as three months. During that period, local fishermen are not allowed to go near those waters,” he alleged.
Also speaking, a community leader from Eniong Abatim, Chief Ita Cobham, alleged that the foreign operators install extensive fishing nets stretching from the Itu Bridge axis in Akwa Ibom to coastal communities in Calabar, effectively restricting access to large sections of the waterways.
He further claimed that many of the installations are carried out without the necessary authorisation, preventing local fishermen from conducting their normal fishing activities.
Cobham alleged that each commercial fishing operation could generate as much as ₦8 million, while most of the seafood harvested is transported outside Cross River instead of being sold in local markets.
According to him, the practice has negatively affected food availability and worsened the economic hardship faced by local fishing communities.
“Another concern is that they do not sell the seafood in our local markets, thereby contributing to food insecurity in the state,” he alleged.
The Cross River State Government has yet to announce a timeline for the investigation but reiterated its commitment to thoroughly examine the allegations and ensure that all fishing activities within the state’s waterways comply with the law.
