Nigeria partners with Norway on satellite surveillance to combat illegal fishing as Oyetola secures Nigeria’s participation in Blue Justice initiative

Nigeria partners with Norway on satellite surveillance to combat illegal fishing as Oyetola secures Nigeria’s participation in Blue Justice initiative

By Sarah Kitka

The Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing through a proposed partnership with Norway on satellite surveillance of Nigerian waters.

Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, Nigeria’s Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, made the assurance on Monday in Abuja when he received the Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Svein Baera, who visited his office to discuss cooperation in the protection of marine resources.

The Ambassador, accompanied by Second Secretary for Policy and Planning Development, Michelle Hovi, presented Norway’s Blue Justice initiative, which provides participating countries with free satellite-based Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel tracking data through the Blue Justice ocean surveillance program.

He called on Nigeria to join the Blue Community, a network of participating countries using the initiative to detect suspicious vessel movements, track vessels evading surveillance and strengthen efforts to combat illegal fishing and other maritime crimes.

According to the Ambassador, the program offers access to historical and real-time vessel tracking data, allowing authorities to monitor maritime activities, investigate suspicious movements and identify patterns associated with illegal fishing.

He noted that the initiative would strengthen Nigeria’s maritime surveillance capabilities, protect fisheries resources and improve enforcement against illegal operators.

In response, Oyetola commended the Norwegian government for the initiative and its long-standing cooperation with Nigeria, assuring that the country will participate in the program to step up the fight against illegal fishing.

The Minister expressed concern over the activities of foreign operators who illegally harvest fish from Nigerian waters before returning the products to the country to sell at exorbitant prices.

“We cannot continue to allow foreign operators to illegally exploit our marine resources while our fishermen and local businesses suffer the consequences. The federal government is determined to end this practice,” he said.

Oyetola stressed that illegal fishing threatens the livelihoods of local fishing communities, deprives Nigeria of legitimate economic benefits and undermines the sustainable management of its aquatic resources.

He explained that satellite surveillance, combined with improved intelligence sharing, would improve the government’s ability to spot suspicious maritime activity and enforce fishing regulations more effectively.

“Protecting our waters is an environmental responsibility and an economic imperative. We must protect our fish stocks, safeguard the livelihoods of our fishermen and ensure that our marine resources contribute significantly to national development,” he added.

The minister further revealed that the federal government is implementing measures to increase local fish production, reduce import dependency, create employment opportunities and conserve foreign exchange.

The proposed collaboration with Norway is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to monitor its waters, protect marine biodiversity and promote the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources.