MINISTRY OF FISHERIES AND MARINE RESOURCES
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF FISHERIES
PUBLIC NOTICE
SALE OF CONFISCATED FISH FROM FISHING TRAWLERS
The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, in collaboration with Sierra Leone Navy, has made series of arrests of fishing vessels for violations of conservation measures under the 1994 Fisheries Management and Development Act.
In addition to the fines imposed for these violations, section 73, subsections (1) and (2) made provision for the disposal of confiscated goods that are deemed perishable and these include fish and fish products.
Specifically the fishing vessels Tsukwei 1 and 2 were arrested mainly for fishing without authorization in Sierra Leone Maritime Waters. The vessels had substantial quantities of frozen fish onboard at time of arrest. As the Ministry does not have fish preservation facilities and to avoid deterioration of the fish products in the vessel, it has been decided to conduct sale of the frozen products to the public. The following conditions shall apply:
1. Priority will be given to women fish sellers from major fish markets in the country
2. A carton of fish will be sold at Le50,000 (Fifty Thousand Leones) which is significantly less than the prevailing company price.
3. Not more than 3 (three cartoons) shall be sold to a buyer.
4. The sale shall run from 16th Tuesday, March 2010 to the 20th Saturday, March 2010, beginning each day at 10:00AM and shall be conduced at the Maritime Wing Naval Base at Murray Town.
This decision has also been taken to ensure continuous availability of fish in the markets.
For further details please contact:
Director of Fisheries
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources
7th Floor
Youyi Building
Freetown.
9th March 2010.
MINISTRY OF FISHERIES AND MARINE RESOURCES
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources wishes to inform the general public that despite the ban on all illegal fishing nets and bad fishing practices, some fishermen are still in the habit of using these illegal nets and continue to engage in other destructive fishing practices such as the use of channel nets, small-meshed nets of less than 45 mm, beach seines, poisons and dynamites.
These practices if left unchecked could lead to stock depletion which will seriously affect the livelihood of fisher folks.
In order to deter and prevent the use of the bad fishing methods and illegal fishing nets, the Ministry has therefore instituted fines for the following violations or infractions:
(a) Any Artisenal fishing vessel caught fishing with illegal fishing nets or using destructive fishing methods in fishing spawning and nursery areas, such as Jui, big river Yawri bay etc, the illegal nets will be confiscated and destroyed.
The engine of the said boat will be seized and a fine of not less than one thousand United States Dollars or equivalent in Leones shall be imposed as a penalty to secure the release of the engine.
(b) Any Artisenal fishing vessel caught fishing with illegal nets but in nursery and spawning areas, the nets and engine will be seized and a fine of not less than five hundred United States Dollars or equivalent in Leones shall be levied as a penalty to secure the release of the engine.
(c) Also the Ministry wishes to inform the general public that fishing Nets comprising of legal and under sized mesh nets, will be confiscated and destroyed.
(d) That all beach seines (draw chains) are illegal and will be arrested and destroyed. The outboard engine used to commit the offence will also be seized and a fine of not less than five hundred United States Dollars or its equivalent in Leones shall be imposed as a Penalty to secure its release.
(e) Any seine net such as ring net, beach seine, drift net, channel nets caught fishing in the Marine Protected Areas such as Scarcies rivers, Rokel and Port Loko in the Sierra Leone river estuary, Yawri Bay and the Sherbro River Estuary, will be confiscated and the engine of the fishing craft utilized to commit the offence will be confiscated. A fine of $1000 (one thousand United States Dollars) or equivalent in Leones shall be imposed as a penalty to secure the release of the engine.
9th March, 2010
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Newspaper in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
