A Bio-Economic Analysis of the Liberian Coastal Fisheries

Abstract

Many coastal fisheries are subject to harvesting externalities due to inadequate regulations compounded by limited enforcement. Coastal fisheries in Liberia consist of a fleet of dugout canoes (Kru) primarily targeting demersal finfish, larger open wooden boats propelled with outboard engines targeting small inshore pelagics (Fanti), and a small number of industrial trawlers employing midwater and bottom trawls targeting finfish and shrimp. This paper develops a bio-economic model for the coastal fisheries in Liberia and employs the model to identify economic optimal fishing effort and harvesting trajectories for the different coastal fleets. The results show under harvesting and disinvestments in the coastal fisheries in Liberia. In 2010 the Government of Liberia declared a six nautical mile inshore exclusion zone accessible only to small-scale fisheries (SSF), which was accompanied by increased enforcement. The coastal fleets in 2016 were profitable but the distribution of profits was tilted to the small-scale fleets. The government needs to evaluate what policy options are available to fully utilize the fisheries potential for different species complexes while at the same time reduce the risk of conflict and overharvesting. There appears to be a need for investment in new technologies, which can only take place if fishing in Liberia will remain profitable.

Survival of the Richest, not the Fittest: How attempts to improve governance impact African small-scale marine fisheries

“…For example, the value of exports in 2014 reached US$1 million, one third of which was directed towards EU countries, 17% to China, 10% to Japan, 8% to the Ivory Coast, with 7% to Ghana, and the remaining spread across numerous countries. 4 The SSF, even with the smaller catches, employs an estimated 10,800 people compared to the 500 people employed in the industrial sector, mostly as deckhands on vessels or as labourers in fish cold storage units and depots ( [52,53]:2). Therefore, the SSF plays a vital role in the fisheries' production and food security of Liberians, including increasing coastal residents' resilience to shocks such as armed conflicts and epidemic outbreaks that may disrupt the more formal food system [32,53].…”

Development of Liberia’s fisheries sectors: Current status and future needs

“…Fisheries contributes approximately 10 % of Liberia's gross domestic product (GDP) [9]; and the small-scale fisheries sector is estimated to employ around 33,000 people in the country [5]. Fisheries in Liberia can broadly be split into two types: artisanal and semi-artisanal coastal fisheries, which make up around 86 % of fisheries in the country [7]; and industrial fisheries.…”

“…The Regulations relating to fisheries, fishing and related activities, for the marine fisheries sector in the Republic of Liberia were introduced in 2010 [12]. These introduced a zoning regulation prohibiting industrial trawling within the 6 nm inshore zone, which has been argued to help to rebuild stocks and enable artisanal fishers to access coastal waters [9]. In 2017, the Natural Resources Law (Subchapter B: Fish Resources) established a National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority [13]; and the Authority was given the legal grounds to regulate the sector through the 2019 Act to Amend the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority Law by Adding Thereto the Fisheries and Aquaculture Management and Development [14].…”

“…Liberia can hence offer valuable insight into what the lowest-income coastal nations, especially those in a post-conflict stage, can face when attempting to rebuild and upscale their fisheries industry. This communication builds on existing research into the economics and biophysical characteristics of Liberia's post-conflict fisheries [5], [7], [9], to comment on the skills and capabilities that are required in Liberia at present.…”

A snapshot of the economic benefits from foreign bottom trawling in coastal West Africa: A mutually‐beneficial trade in services, no winners or extractivism?

“…These outcomes include overexploited stocks and degraded habitat (Akpalu & Eggert, 2020), reduced supplies of animal‐source protein for local populations (Petrossian & Clarke, 2020), adverse impacts on small‐scale fisheries (e.g. conflicts and lack of safety from overlaps, effects of competition on incomes and livelihoods) (Belhabib et al, 2020; Jueseah et al, 2020; Owusu & Andriesse, 2020), and incidents of illegal fishing (Belhabib et al, 2019; EJF & Hen Mpoano, 2019; Jueseah et al, 2020; Pauly, 2018). These negative environmental and social outcomes raise the question as to whether the benefits of these arrangements are larger than the cost.…”