International News

CONAKRY, Oct 14, (APP/AFP) – Idrissa Kallo’s expert eyes dart across the waters off Guinea’s port capital, Conakry, looking for fish that always seem fewer and far between his nets. As African governments gather for a summit in Togo aimed at cracking down on illegal fishing, Guinea’s corrupt officials and lack of resources to prevent the looting of its waters exemplify the problems facing the continent’s west coast. The Marine Resources Assessment Group (MRAG) has estimated that over $100 million (90 million euros) in marine products are caught illegally in Guinean waters every year, with the worst offenders being Chinese, South Korean and Spanish trawlers. “They come here during the night and fish until five or six in the morning, then leave our waters,” Kallo told AFP onboard his “pirogue”, a narrow wooden fishing vessel typical to west Africa. “Sometimes the inspectors are complicit, and cut the surveillance systems,” he added. “It’s the ones who hand out the licences who have been to blame for years now.”