Business
Registration Of Artisanal Fishing Operators Begins Soon – FDF
The Federal Department of Fisheries (FDF) said on Tuesday in Lagos that it would soon commence the registration of artisanal fishing operators in the country.
The department’s Director, Ms Foluke Areola, told Newsmen that the exercise was because of the importance of artisanal fishing to the economy.
Areola said that artisanal fishing was now part of the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.
She said that the registration of fishing canoes would aid better planning of the fisheries sub-sector of agriculture.
Areola explained that artisanal fishing is any kind of small-scale, low-technology, commercial or subsistence fishing practices, particularly those of coastal areas.
About 10 million people are said to be currently engaged in artisanal fishing in the country.
Under the GES, fishing input such as nets, twines, flats, sinkers, canoes and insulated boxes will be subsidised at 50 per cent by the government to the farmers.
According to Areola, the artisanal fishing value chain has taken off and it has been successfully keyed into the GES scheme.
“Efforts in the past to register artisanal fishing crafts have not been effective enough and hence, the need to carefully and properly design an authentic and reliable platform.
“Proper registration of artisanal fishing canoes will give room for better planning and development of the sub-sector,” Areola said.
The director also said that the registration would curb insecurity in the nation’s waters.