Angola: Nigeria's 1989 agreement with Angola 

 allows the licensing of four Nigerian vessels with a 

 minimum length of 50 meters. This requirement 

 virtually nullifies the agreement since Nigeria does 

 not currently operate trawlers of this size. 



Currently, Nigerian vessels are only fishing in 

 Equatorial Guinea's waters, as well as in local 

 waters. Federal Department of Fisheries (FDF) 

 officials say that no negotiations over reciprocal 

 fishing agreements have taken place with any of the 

 major fishing powers (i.e. Japan, Russia, Norway, or 

 the EC). 



3. Fleet Background 



The Nigerian commercial fishing sector is 

 dominated by five large companies. Together they 

 own approximately 60 percent of the majority of all 

 other companies, which own fewer than five trawlers 

 each. Most companies are located in Lagos, but 

 several operate from Port Harcourt, Warn, and 

 Calabar. 



The Federal Department of Fisheries (FDF) 

 reports that registration of the inshore and deepwater 

 trawlers peaked in the late 1980's and has been 

 declining since then (table 2). The drop in the 

 inshore fish supply caused by overfishing and the 

 high cost of vessel maintenance and licensing fees 

 contributed to this drop. Rising operational cost and 

 smaller catches force many operators to retire older 

 vessels and not replace them. At any given time, 30 

 to 40 percent of registered vessels are not in service 

 because of breakdowns or maintenance problems. 

 Spare parts, mostly imported from the United States, 

 are so expensive that retiring and cannibalizing older 

 vessels for spare parts is more economical than 

 ordering new ones. 



4. Aid Programs 



As of 1992, Japan, Germany, the World Bank 

 (IBRD), the International Fund for Agriculture 

 Development (IFAD), and the United Nations were 

 all operating fishing projects in Nigeria. Brief 

 descriptions of some of the projects are given below. 



JAPAN: The Japanese Government provides a 42 

 meter, 272-gross registered ton vessel to the Nigerian 

 Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research 

 (NIOMR) for use in developing tuna fishing in 

 Nigerian waters. The Japanese government also 

 provides funding for the rehabilitation of the NIOMR 

 pilot canning plant and training school. 



IBRD: There is a $27.8 million fisheries component 

 in the $100.9 million third multi-state agricultural 

 development project designed to strengthen extension 

 services and to increase the value of fish production 

 in Lagos, Ondo, and the delta states. This project 

 began operating in 1990 and will be implemented 

 over five years with an emphasis on improving fish 

 production technology and small stock management. 



IFAD: A six-year, $6 million loan provides funds 

 for lending to fishermen by the Nigerian Agricultural 

 Development Bank. This project was to have begun 

 by the end of 1992. 



5. Shipbuilding 



Nigeria has no significant shipbuilding industry. 

 In 1991 and 1992, ship building and repairing 

 equipment were the second largest U.S. exports to 

 Nigeria. Most of the newer commercial vessels 

 operating in Nigeria are built in the United States and 

 the industry seems predisposed toward American 

 products. Nigeria has no special provisions for 

 importing new or used fishing vessels. 



6. Enforcement 



The government considers illegal fishing a major 

 problem though estimates on the number of illegal 

 vessels in operation are unavailable. Frequent 

 violations include use of illegal undersized mesh nets, 

 fishing without a license, pilferage (black market sale 

 of a percentage of the legal catch transacted at sea by 

 fishing crews), and infringement of a 5-mile, no- 

 trawler zone. Most of these infractions contribute to 

 Nigeria's larger problems of depletion of native fish 

 stocks and degradation of the environment for 

 traditional fishermen. Fishing without a permit in 

 Nigerian waters is punishable with forfeiture of the 

 vessel and detention of the captain, or a fine of about 

 $4,550) payable in foreign currency. 



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