In this article, the author argues that if the European Union (EU) supports the reform and expansion of the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) in Liberia, it could strengthen the EU's role in promoting responsible fisheries governance. Such an initiative would align with recent regional developments, including the extension of the IEZ in Ghana and the Senegalese government's commitment to expand areas reserved for small-scale fisheries.
Reading time: 3 minutes
Liberia artisanal fishing communities, - the backbone of the country’s coastal economy and food security-, are once again sounding the alarm.
In a letter sent, on 15th July, to the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), Liberian artisanal fishers from LAFA, supported by national and international civil society organisations, called for stopping the approval of a controversial Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) that would allow semi-industrial trawlers into waters reserved for small-scale fishing.
This is not the first time Liberia’s artisanal fishers have raised concerns about the encroachment of industrial fishing vessels, trawlers in particular, into their zone. In fact, they have been consistently and clearly opposing such developments for over a decade. Today, the stakes have never been higher, and the international community, especially the European Union, has a clear opportunity to respond with appropriate support.
A flawed Plan threatening fishers’ livelihoods
The draft FMP for the semi-industrial multi-species fishery proposes to license up to 10 trawlers to operate in the inshore zone, a direct threat to the more than 37.000 fishers and 200.000 fishworkers, mainly women fish processors, whose survival depends on the coastal resources. According to the letter sent to NaFAA, the plan is ”in conflict with five core principles of the 2019 Liberia Fisheries Law”, including the precautionary principle, sustainability, and social equity.
The draft plan disregards the 2010 Liberia Fisheries Regulations, which reserves the 6 NM zone for artisanal fishers and undecked semi-industrial vessels (like Fanti canoes). The regulations were updated in 2020, to allow semi-industrial trawlers up to 4 NM. The proposed FMP doesn’t address this watering-down of the artisanal fishers’ zone protection, rather increasing the potential for competition between trawlers and artisanal fishers.
“Fisher representatives were given just three days to review the 46-page-long technical document of the Fisheries Management Plan before its validation meeting””
It also fails to address how these trawlers would avoid sensitive ecosystems or vulnerable species. Many of the species to be targeted by the trawlers are already overexploited, and bottom trawling, -a fishing method known for its high levels of by-catches and destruction of the seabed- would likely push them to collapse. Indeed, the draft FMP doesn’t provide any evaluation of how this trawl fishery would affect the broader eco-system.
Perhaps most troubling is the lack of inclusive governance in developing this FMP. Stakeholders were given just three days to review this 46-page-long technical document before its validation meeting, a timeframe that excluded meaningful participation, particularly from rural fishers with limited internet access or technical capacity. A similar exclusion was observed in 2024 during consultations on the deepwater shrimp FMP, which went ahead despite serious stakeholder objections.
A story of increasing marginalization of Liberia SSF fishers
Similar episodes have been documented over the years. Back in 2017, when President Sirleaf issued Executive Order 84 proposing to cut Liberia’s Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ) from 6 NM down to just 3NM, Liberia artisanal fishing communities already expressed concern over the government willingness to bring foreign trawlers in that zone, warning of social and ecological disaster. Indeed, at the time, artisanal fishing communities repeatedly denounced the encroachment of industrial trawlers into the six-nautical-mile zone reserved for them, undermining their livelihoods and food security. In 2024, LAFA again rejected a NaFAA proposal that would unravel their fishing zone for industrial shrimp trawling. Every time, the objections were clear: fisheries and environmental destruction, leading to loss of income for fishers, food insecurity, and rising conflicts at sea with trawlers.
As CFFA noted earlier this year, protecting and investing in small-scale fisheries is key to any future EU-Liberia relation. Yet, the imbalance between Liberian industrial and artisanal fleets continues to widen. According to the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea, trawler catches have increased, whilst artisanal landings are stagnating, an unsustainable situation exacerbated by weak enforcement and rising illegal fishing. Worryingly, the proposed FMP for semi-industrial trawlers operations does not even specify the flag state of the incoming trawlers, raising further questions about transparency, benefit sharing, and the risk of IUU fishing.
What should the EU do?
The EU has made international commitments to protect small-scale fisheries, including through the FAO SSF Guidelines, and the Sustainable Development Goal 14b. The EU is also a key actor in Liberia blue economy through development partnerships, cooperation to combat IUU fishing, and the (currently dormant) Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement.
To align its support with these commitments, at a time when the EU wants to project itself as a global leader of fisheries good governance, it should:
Call for the immediate suspension of the semi-industrial fisheries management plan (FMP), until meaningful consultation with artisanal fishing stakeholders is conducted and solid science-based safeguards are in place.
Support Liberia to take all necessary measures for establishing, in a transparent and participatory manner, a 12 NM exclusive zone to artisanal and undecked semi-industrial fishing. Supporting the full protection of this Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ) and ensuring it is managed collaboratively with the fishing communities, and for their benefit, is a priority.
Condition fisheries governance support on transparency, particularly regarding license allocations, catch data, and flag state disclosures.
Invest further in livelihood programs for small-scale fishers and fish processors, including women and youth.
Continue to fund community-based monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) systems, in a way that empowers fishers and civil society to document and report IUU fishing.
Why supporting Liberia artisanal fishers should be at the heart of EU-Liberia partnership
The July 2025 letter to NaFAA is more than a critique of a flawed fisheries management plan, it is a call for a fair and sustainable vision for Liberia fisheries. One in which artisanal fishers are not pushed aside by trawlers, but are recognised as essential actors for food security, culture and biodiversity conservation.
Supporting Liberian fishers’ call for a clearly defined, legally protected 12 NM EIZ would build on a growing regional trend: recently, Ghana Parliament committed, through its reviewed Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, to extend its inshore exclusion zone from 6 to 12 NM, to shield artisanal fishers and coastal ecosystems from destructive industrial trawling. Similarly, Senegal new government included, in its 2024 electoral platform, a pledge to formally establish a 12 NM zone reserved exclusively for small‑scale fisheries.
Championing such reforms in Liberia would reinforce the EU leadership on responsible fisheries governance, and reinforce its credibility in promoting social equity, food security across West Africa.
Supporting Liberia artisanal fishers is not only the right thing to do for the EU, it is also the only path toward a fair and sustainable blue economy.
Banner photo: Sunset Beach Buchannan, Sakpawea Town, Liberia by Jacop Kpehe
Encouraging the reform and enlargement of the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) in Liberia would reinforce the EU leadership on responsible fisheries governance and build on recent regional trends, such as the IEZ expansion in Ghana and the Senegalese government commitment to enlarge the area reserved to artisanal fishers.