Nigeria Partner Norway on Satellite Surveillance to Fight Illegal Fishing as Oyetola Assures of Nigeria’s Participation in Blue Justice Initiative

Nigeria Partner Norway on Satellite Surveillance to Fight Illegal Fishing as Oyetola Assures of Nigeria’s Participation in Blue Justice Initiative

By Sarah Kitka

Nigeria’s Government has reaffirmed its commitment to combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing through a proposed partnership with Norway on satellite-based surveillance of Nigerian waters.

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

The Ambassador, accompanied by the Second Secretary for Political and Project Development, Ms. Michelle Hovi, introduced 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 Programme.

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

According to the Ambassador, the programme offers access to real-time and historical vessel-tracking data, enabling 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.

Responding, Oyetola commended the Norwegian government for the initiative and its longstanding cooperation with Nigeria, assuring that the country would participate in the programme to intensify 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 for sale at exorbitant prices.

“We cannot continue to allow foreign operators to exploit our marine resources illegally while our local fishers and businesses suffer the consequences. The Federal Government is determined to bring this practice to an end,” 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 enhance the government’s ability to detect suspicious maritime activities and enforce fisheries regulations more effectively.

“The protection of 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 meaningfully to national development,” he added.

The Minister further disclosed that the Federal Government was implementing measures to increase local fish production, reduce dependence on imports, 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.