Traditional fishermen operating in creeks, rivers and Atlantic coastline of Bayelsa have listed oil pollution, incursion by industrial fishing trawlers and unnatural fishing methods as obstacles to their vocation.
The fishermen identified the challenges at a capacity building workshop organised by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) on Tuesday in Yenagoa.
The fishermen, while identifying the obstacles at a brainstorming session facilitated by Dr Ogechi Cookey, Research and Publications Lead at HOMEF, said that those factors were responsible for dwindling production by fishermen across the Niger Delta region.
According to them, industrial fishing trawlers restricted by law from operating near the coastline often encroached to ‘sweep’ the waterways by overfishing and catching fingerlings that ought to grow to replenish the fish stock.
They also lamented that some fishermen applied local leaves and mixed them with chemicals to boost catch to the detriment of the food chain.
Chief Washinton Odoyibo, a fisherman, farmer and community leader of Ikarama in Yenagoa LGA, said that oil exploration and associated spills had wiped out some fish species and made the waters toxic for fishing activities.
He said that during oil spill, the booms used to trap crude from spreading obstructed navigation by fishing boats and regretted that the oil firms often abandoned the booms even after clean up.
A community leader of Ikarama, Mrs Ayibakuro Warder, said that prolonged exposure to crude and inhaling the toxic fumes had increased the prevalence of asthma and other respiratory ailments.
“The frequent spills in Ikarama have led to diagnosis of many new and strange ailments previously not common, and women are worst hit because they stay longer in the farms and get exposed to crude.
“The report by Bayelsa Oil and Environmental Commission found higher than normal levels of heavy metals in breast milk of breast feeding mothers.
“High rate of miscarriages amongst women of reproductive age in oil communities was also reported by the study,” Warder said.
In his welcome remarks, Chief Alagoa Morris, a renowned environmentalist, commended HOMEF for building the capacity of fishermen to defend their environmental and human rights.
Morris, who is also Technical Adviser on Environment to Bayelsa Governor, urged the fishermen to make contributions that would help policy makers to formulate policies to improve fisheries.
Dr Piriye Kiyaramo, the Senior Special Adviser on Tourism to Bayelsa Governor, in his goodwill message, said that there was a link between fishing and tourism.
He said that tourists often accompanied fishermen on fishing expeditions with a view to adding to the culinary experience of tourism as they also craved for local dishes.
Kiyaramo said that the proposed State Ministry of Blue Economy in Bayelsa would take care of the challenges faced by fishermen who were a significant segment of the blue economy. (NAN)
