Dr. Soccoh: Sierra Leone Govt. Loses Millions to Pirates
The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr. Soccoh Kabia (in photo) has told Sierra Expres Media in an interview that pirates are robbing the country a wholesome amounts of revenue through their illegal fishing activities in the shores of Sierra Leone.
The Minister said a cumulative sum of US$30 million is lost in the revenue coffers each year through the activities of unlicensed vessels and fishing agencies plying Sierra Leone’s sea routes on a regular basis.
He gave the projection for 2011’s fiscal revenue accrued to be at a computing figure of Le13.7 billion Leones; adding that the Ministry has succeeded in raising in the first quarter of 2012 Fiscal Year, the sum of Le1.7 billion Leones.
Dr. Soccoh Kabbia said, “Because of these gains the government is looking seriously on possible options to tighten the lose ends in the fishing sector”.
He said the issue does not only pose a threat to the economy of Sierra Leone but brews pressure on the local fishermen whose source of living depends on fishing. The Minister stated further that, “In order to combat this problem government has put in place a sub-regional fishing Vessels mechanism to capture pirates in the deep shores of the country’s riverine territory.
He said they are planning to replace obsolete laws with better ones that would make provisions for stringent measures to be put in place in punishing those miscreants parading the shores of Sierra Leone on pirate missions.
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