By: Akoi M. Baysah, Jr.
The National Fishery and Aquaculture Authority, (NAFAA), will join other countries around the world to celebrate World Fisheries Day after 28 years.
This celebration will take place in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County highlighting the importance of protecting aquatic resources and promoting responsible fishing practices as the country intensifies reforms in the fisheries sector.
This year’s celebration centers on a renewed national commitment to sustainable fisheries, symbolized by the World Fisheries Day logo, which serves as a unifying reminder of the shared global responsibility to safeguard marine ecosystems.
The celebration comes at a pivotal time, as Liberia continues to benefit from the European Union Technical Assistance Food Systems Governance Fisheries Activity, a major initiative aimed at strengthening governance and expanding the fisheries value chain.
The project focuses on establishing and empowering local co-management associations, improving NaFAA’s leadership capacity, boosting enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and supporting artisanal fisheries development.
In a major boost to the fisheries sector in Liberia, the EU has announced that beginning 2026, it will roll out a new project targeting fishers across all nine coastal counties.
Accordingly, the EU noted that the upcoming initiative aims to reinforce decentralized governance structures, develop stronger small-scale fisheries enterprises, protect marine habitats, and curb all forms of IUU fishing in Liberian waters.Authorities say this year’s World Fisheries Day is not just a celebration, but a call to action.
It aligns Liberia’s efforts with global frameworks such as the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—particularly those relating to environmental sustainability and community development.
