An environment rights
group, has urged the Federal Government to stop the violation of the Fisheries Act of 1992 to prevent traditional fishing from growing into extinction.
The group, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, made the call in a field report made available to newsmen in Yenagoa.
The report was issued and signed by Head of Field Operations at the Niger Delta Resource Centre of ERA /FoEN based in Yenagoa, Mr Alagoa Morris.
The report noted that trawler operators were making incursion to the shoreline and threat to the livelihood and lives of residents of coastline communities in Bayelsa and other coastal states.
The group said that it recently received a letter from Odioama and other communities in Bayelsa adversely affected by the unlawful incursion and activities of trawler operators around the shorelines.
According to the report, the situation calls for urgent intervention of the relevant agencies of the federal and state governments.
“The law of the Sea has stipulated five nautical miles away from the coastline or shoreline for trawlers to operate.
“Besides, captains of trawlers have been assigned the responsibility of not going close to any fishing gears on the waters; giving a space of over a mile to any such fishing gears in the sea.
“The law also stipulates that captains/operators should promptly report any damage caused to the property of other users of the sea.
“This gross violation of the law needs to be addressed to protect the economic interest of residents of coastal communities in Bayelsa and other Niger Delta communities who are predominantly fishermen and prevent them from resorting to self help.
“There is an existing law referred to as the Fisheries Act of 1992 or Decree No 108 of 1992 wherein trawling is put at a limit of five nautical miles off the coast or continental shelf,” the report read in part.
It explained that trawler operators have been found to encroach as close to two nautical miles to the coast and constrain fishing folks from going about their legitimate means of livelihood.
It tasked local government authorities to investigate, document the development and report to state and federal governments for possible action to forestall breakdown of law and order in the coastline communities.
The group urged all stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of agriculture as well as the state and national Assemblies, to rise and defend the laws of the land and the threat to interest of coastal residents.