Yenagoa – The Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN) has called on the Federal Government to forestall Bonga fish species from going into extinction in the Nigerian territorial waters.
ARFAN Coordinator in the Niger Delta Samuel Ayadi made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Sunday.
Ayadi said that the association resolved to seek government’s assistance on the issue to preserve their trade.
“We want the Federal Institute of Fisheries and Marine Research to seek ways and means of breeding and re-introducing the species to the Nigerian territorial waters,” Ayadi suggested.
According him, it is an irony that the Bonga fish, a local species noted for its unique taste, is being wiped out by the contamination from an oil field named after it.
“The Bonga fish, which is common along the West African coastline, has disappeared from our menu for the past four years due to the adverse effect of the Bonga oil field spill.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
“The near extinction of Bonga from our waters is a big blow to us. We are at the verge of losing our traditional fishing occupation because of the disappearance of the species.
“Bonga was the main fish species that our members caught and depended on,” he said.
Ayadi also said that the fishermen needed government’s assistance to boost fish production in country now that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had stopped issuance of foreign exchange to fish importers.
He stressed the need to follow up the policy by empowering fishermen to produce more fish to meet the anticipated demand occasioned by the import restriction.
NAN recalls that an oil spill from an offshore facility belonging to Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) discharged 40,000 barrels of crude into the Atlantic in December 2011.
The incident, which polluted the ocean and destroyed fish species, compelled fishermen in the Niger Delta to desert the sea.
The House of Representatives in December 2014 recommended $3.96 billion compensation yet to be paid to the victims of the incident, including the fishermen. (NAN)