Nigeria Plans Satellite Partnership With Norway Against Illegal Fishing

 

By Atlantic Reports

The Federal Government says it will partner with Norway to use satellite surveillance against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in Nigerian waters.

Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, expressed Nigeria’s readiness during a courtesy visit by the Norwegian Ambassador, Mr Svein Baera, in Abuja.

The meeting was detailed in a statement issued on Monday in Lagos by the minister’s Special Adviser, Dr Bolaji Akinola.

Baera introduced the Blue Justice Initiative, which provides participating countries with free satellite vessel-tracking data to help monitor maritime activities.

He invited Nigeria to join the Blue Justice Community, saying access to real-time and historical information could support the identification of suspicious vessel movements, fisheries protection and law enforcement.

The ambassador also said the initiative could help identify vessels operating without transmitting tracking signals. The statement did not explain how such vessels would be detected.

Oyetola welcomed the proposal and assured the ambassador that Nigeria would participate.

He alleged that foreign operators were illegally harvesting fish from Nigerian waters and reselling them to Nigerians at exorbitant prices. The statement did not identify specific operators or cases.

The minister said the government was determined to curb exploitation, increase domestic fish production and reduce foreign exchange spent on imports.

He described the protection of Nigerian waters as both an environmental responsibility and an economic imperative.

For local fishers and seafood businesses, stronger enforcement could help protect the resources that sustain their livelihoods. Vessel-tracking data would support investigations, but suspicious movements alone would not establish an offence.

The statement did not announce an operational start date or confirm that Nigeria had completed admission to the Blue Justice Community.

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