Liberia and Morocco have begun preparations ahead of the conduct of the second fisheries stock assessment on Liberian waters, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) have said
The preparatory works began Friday December 1, 2023, following the arrival of a high-power technical fisheries delegation from the Kingdom of Morocco. The second independent stock assessment will take place in mid-January 2024, with technical assistance from the Moroccan government.
The visit of the Moroccan technical delegation to Liberia, a NaFAA press release is quoted as saying, “is predicated upon the need to implement the MoU signed recently between the Government of Liberia through NaFAA and the Moroccan Government’s Ministry of Aquaculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forestry, for the conduct of a fish stock assessment in the Exclusive Zone (EEZ) of Liberia.”
The four-member delegation includes Abdelmalek Faraj, Ali Aferyad, Najib Charouuki, and Soukaina Zizah, all from the National Institute of Research of Morocco.
It can be recalled that earlier in 2023, the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, through its Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime, and Fisheries, agreed to provide its research vessel to conduct an independent stock assessment on Liberian’s territorial water.
Responding to Liberia’s request for technical support, Moroccan Fisheries Minister, Mohammed Sadiki, disclosed that his government will provide the technical assistance to Liberia through its research vessel for the growth and development of the Liberian fisheries sector.
The first fish stock assessment under the CDC-led government was conducted in August 2023, with technical assistance from the governments of Guinea and Senegal, with the provision of the Guinean research vessel “Lasanna Conteh”.
Moreover, the Moroccan delegation on Saturday December 2, 2023, toured the Freeport of Monrovia, where its research vessel is expected to dock for the conduct of the second fish stock assessment in Liberia, and later the Moroccan technical team toured the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) Fisheries Monitoring Center (FMC), where they saw how monitoring activities are being conducted across Liberian waters and other parts of the world. They were led on the tour by managers of the Research and Statistics Department.
Previously, the Moroccan delegation held discussions with the Director General of NaFAA, Madam Emma Metieh Glassco, at NaFAA’s Corporate Headquarters on Bushrod Island, re-emphasizing their government’s preparedness to assist Liberia in the conduct of the second scientific fish stock assessment.
Responding, Madam Glassco expressed the Government of Liberia’s deepest satisfaction and appreciation to the government and people of the Kingdom of Morocco for maintaining their commitment to ensure the facilitation of the conduct of a scientific stock assessment on Liberia’s water.
A stock assessment is a scientific activity by means of a research vessel to acquire scientific information/data on individual species, so as to ascertain the commercial viability of those fisheries resources, and to further attract investment opportunities.
The stock assessment, when completed, will thereby ensure improvement in Liberia’s commercial fishing operations across its territorial waters.
