Fish Production: Nigeria To Be Self-Reliant Soon

Nigeria’s first lady,
Dame Patience Jonathan, has said that the acquisition of a new 10-1 million Euro Research vessel acquired by the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research was capable of making Nigeria self reliant in fish production.
Making the declaration recently at the Christening of the new vessel in Poland, she said the Focus of the Transformation Agenda was promoting strategies for sustainable  fish stock through integrated fisheries management.
She said that apart from promoting aquaculture and improving trade through establishment best practices, the acquisition of the vessel would reposition both marine and fisheries  sector of the economy.
According to her, Nigeria was blessed with abundant aquatic resources with a coastline of 853 kilometres and rich in fish and shrimp.
She explained that  shrimp export was of great  importance to  the fisheries sub-sector in Nigeria  even  as she said, Nigerian Shrimps were considered one of the best in the world  that generate foreign exchange worth over 65 million US $ annually.
“I am reliably informed that Nigeria’s deep sea waters also habour Tuna and Tuna like  fishes, drift fish and large lantern fish populations” she said.
She said the acquisition of the deep-sea fishing vessel named “Rv Bayagbona” after the first Executive Director of the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research would no doubt enhance the exploration of the country’s fish resources.
Speaking at the ceremony, the minister  of agriculture said Nigeria has no reasons to import fish as the country’s capacity for produce fish was  enormous.

L-R: Vice Chairman, Navimor Group, Mr Roman Kinda; First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina and Minister of State for Agriculture, Mrs Asabe Hamed ,at the inauguration and Christening of Federal Ministry of Agriculture newly acquired fishing vessel in Poland last Wednesday