”I Don’t Blame The Sea. I Blame Those Who Let Others Steal It,” Sierra Leone’s Dying Fisheries and the Politics of Ocean Plunder”
By Jarrah Kawusu–Konte
Tombo, Western Rural District —Just before noon, under a blistering sun, Mariatu Conteh squats near a near-empty table. A few small fish lie on display, already losing their shimmer. No smoke curls from the once-busy dryers. No crowd jostles for a day’s fresh catch. Mariatu, a fishmonger for over 25 years, shrugs in quiet desperation.
“I don’t blame the sea. I blame those who let others steal it,” she says.
According to DW news, “Some 8,000 small boats manned by local fishermen go out every day to cast their nets, their catch a vital source of income in what is one of the world’s poorest countries. Without the fishermen, Sierra Leoneans would also go hungry. More than four fifths of the population depend on fish as a source of animal protein. But the country’s traditional fishing communities have long complained that their catch is drastically shrinking due to overfishing by foreign trawlers.”
Across the coast, from Tombo to Shenge, Bonthe to Goderich, Sierra Leone’s artisanal fishing communities are collapsing. Once vibrant centers of food, trade, and coastal identity are now shadows of themselves. And behind it all lies a familiar pattern: unregulated industrial fishing, political impunity, elite complicity, and community neglect.
A Blue Economy Bled Dry
Sierra Leone’s Economic Exclusion Zone stretches 22.224 kilometres or 12 nautical miles from the baseline) out 370.4 kilometres (or 200 nautical miles), teeming with commercially viable species: sardines, barracuda, snapper, grouper, shrimp, and cuttlefish. The sector supports nearly half a million livelihoods and provides over 80% of the country’s animal protein consumption (FAO, 2023). Yet, according to the World Bank’s 2022 Economic Update, fisheries contribute a meager 1.8% of GDP, and less than 15% of fish consumed locally is caught by Sierra Leonean fishers.
Even more bizzare, Sierra Leone’s export value of fish and fish products has been estimated at US$11.3 million in 2022, while fish and fish product imports were estimated at US$12 million. Based on these numbers, Sierra Leone is a net importer of fish and fish products, a World Bank report states.
What happened? The short answer: IUU: Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing. According to a 2022 Greenpeace Africa report, Sierra Leone loses an estimated $50–100 million annually in revenue and fish stock due to IUU fishing, largely by foreign industrial trawlers operating under dubious license regimes, weak enforcement, and collusive silence.
“Foreign trawlers are sweeping our fish like dust from the ocean floor,” said Dr. Mustapha Kamara, a marine biologist at Njala University. “Our communities are left with bones.”
Before the Flood: What Was Working Pre-2018
Prior to April 2018, there were cautious gains:
- The Joint Maritime Committee (JMC) conducted joint patrols, including Navy, EPA, and Fisheries ministry.
- The Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) tracked licensed vessels via satellite.
- The Artisanal Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ) of 6–12 nautical miles was strictly enforced, protecting coastal fishers.
- International partners like Norway, Iceland, and the EU supported capacity building and community co-management.
In a 2017 ECOWAS Fisheries Forum, Sierra Leone was hailed as a regional model for “community-first marine governance.” But that tide has since receded.
“We left a working system. They let it drown,” said former APC fisheries official.
Since 2018, marine patrols have virtually ceased. Community fisheries cooperatives lack funding. The VMS system is underutilized. IUU vessels now fish within sight of local canoes, unchallenged.
Black Johnson Harbour: A Deal in the Dark
The most controversial chapter in Sierra Leone’s marine policy in recent memory is the proposed Fish Harbour at Black Johnson, a $55 million Chinese-backed project on the pristine Freetown Peninsula coastline. The government claims the facility will create jobs, attract foreign processing investment, and modernize Sierra Leone’s fish export capacity. But communities and experts see a national development project being foisted on the people without consideration for the welfare of affected communities.
- Land Displacement and Inadequate Compensation – Landowners and traditional land custodians in Black Johnson report being evicted or coerced into signing agreements at well below market value.
“They offered Le 15 million for four acres,” said landowner Peter Fornah. “No title, no process, just soldiers and bulldozers.”
- Environmental Impact Ignored – The site is located within a protected wetland and biodiversity hotspot. A leaked 2021 EPA-SL internal report warned of:
- Critical mangrove loss
- Threats to breeding grounds for fish and migratory birds
- Long-term erosion of marine stocks
“This is the ecological lungs of the Western Peninsula,” said Dr. Joseph Rahall, Director of Green Scenery. “Destroying it for a speculative deal is suicidal.”
- Secrecy and Shifting Explanations – Despite public demand, the government has refused to release the full contract, triggering speculation of a fishmeal plant, notorious for rapidly depleting fish stocks, creating foul odors, and polluting coastlines, as seen in The Gambia and Senegal. While the Fisheries Ministry has flip-flopped, first denying, then vaguely admitting “multi-purpose” usage, public confidence has collapsed.
Communities Left Behind
A 2023 National Fisheries Union survey across five major coastal communities found:
- 60% decline in fish catch since 2017
- 70% of women fish processors saw profits shrink by over 50%
- Malnutrition linked to protein deficiency rose in children under 5 by 11 percentage points (UNICEF, 2023)
- Artisanal fishers now spend twice the time at sea for half the returns.
“We buy petrol, go to sea, return with nothing. Our children eat pepper soup without fish,” said a fisherman in Shenge.
Global Observers Raise the Alarm
The EU IUU Fishing Report (2023) placed Sierra Leone on watchlist for “persistent failure to monitor licensed vessels and enforce artisanal exclusion zones.” The World Bank and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have paused large-scale fisheries sector funding pending “governance and transparency reforms.”
A 2023 report by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) concluded:
“The Black Johnson Harbour exemplifies an extractive development model that excludes local voices, compromises ecosystems, and risks destabilizing marine sustainability for generations.”
Dr. Ibrahim Bangura’s Call: “The Sea Must Feed Us All”
Dr. Bangura has spoken extensively on the strategic development of the ‘blue economy.
“Our fathers fished these waters with dignity. Our children now inherit hunger. This is not policy failure — this is plunder.”
Proposed Blue Revolution Framework might include:
- Transparency in Marine Dealings Act – All foreign and local marine contracts must be published in full, subjected to community hearings, and reviewed by Parliament and the Anti-Corruption Commission.
- Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ) Restoration – Reinforce the 12-nautical-mile artisanal protection zone with joint Navy-Coast Guard patrols, funded through license fees and maritime taxes.
- National Cold Chain and Processing Infrastructure – Invest in fish storage hubs, ice plants, and smoking centers in Bonthe, Tombo, and Lungi to prevent post-harvest losses and empower coastal women processors.
- Community Marine Governance Councils – Each coastal district will elect community members to manage fishing quotas, marine conservation, and conflict resolution, in line with Ostrom’s Common Pool Resource Theory.
- Immediate Halt to Black Johnson Project Pending Audit – A full forensic audit of the Black Johnson deal, including land acquisition, environmental compliance, and ownership structure, with all works suspended until findings are made public.
Conclusion: The Ocean Cannot Vote, But We Can
In Black Johnson, fishers stare at a coastline fenced off for a project they never agreed to. In Tombo, nets return empty, and meals go without meat. In Parliament, the silence is deafening. But in villages, markets, and coastal towns, anger brews. The people remember.
“The sea is tired of feeding strangers,” says Mariatu Conteh, her fish nearly unsold. “Maybe it’s time the people feed themselves, with their vote.”
Sierra Leone’s oceans are not just blue space, they are national treasures, protein banks, women’s economies, and ancestral memories. Only a new kind of leadership, bold, transparent, restorative, and rooted in dignity, can reclaim the ocean for its people. And that leadership, many say, begins with Dr. Ibrahim Bangura’s election as APC flagbearer.
“The nets may be empty today,” Dr. Bangura told fishers in Shenge, “but with truth, discipline, and vision, the tide will return with big catches.”
