8 



NIGERIA 



The U.S. Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria, prepared the following report on the fisheries of Nigeria. The report has been 

 edited only slightly to help it conform to other country reports. 10 



1. Regulations 



Fishing in territorial waters is reserved for 

 Nigerian-flag vessels. A Nigerian vessel is defined 

 as one belonging to a company whose capital is no 

 less than 50-percent African ownership. 

 Theoretically, foreign fishing is allowed only for joint 

 ventures with at least a 51 -percent Nigerian interest, 

 though in practice this requirement is waived when 

 there is substantial Nigerian interest in the company. 

 Foreign flag vessels may be licensed to fish only 

 outside the Nigerian Exclusive Economic Zone 

 (EEZ), but they may land fish in Nigeria. 



Business permits and fishing licenses are required 

 for all companies operating within Nigeria's 200-mile 

 EEZ. To obtain a fishing license, a company must 

 first secure approval from the Industrial Development 

 Coordinating Committee of the Ministry of Industries 

 in Abuja. The applicant must then apply to the 

 Ministry of Transport for registration of fishing 

 vessels. Finally, all approvals and documents must 

 be submitted to the Department of Fisheries, Ministry 

 of Agriculture, for granting of the license (table 1). 



2. International Agreements 



Nigeria is a member of the Commission for the 

 Eastern Central Atlantic Fisheries (CECAF). Nigeria 

 also has fishing agreements with three African 

 countries, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, and Sierra 

 Leone which allow Nigerian vessels to register to fish 

 in the participating country's national waters. 



Equatorial Guinea: A five-year agreement, renewed 

 with Equatorial Guinea in 1991, allows 17 Nigerian 

 trawlers to fish in its waters in exchange for 50 tons 

 of fish per year per vessel given to the Equatorial 

 Guinean government. The Government of Equatorial 

 Guinea negotiated this requirement to provide fish for 

 its local market, as it does not have an offshore 

 fishing industry of its own. 



Sierra Leone: Nigeria's agreement with Sierra 

 Leone, allowing for 12 Nigerian vessels to fish the 

 Sierra Leonean waters is a reciprocal agreement 

 though Sierra Leone is not currently exercising its 

 right to fish Nigerian waters. 



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