Liberia launches initiative to improve fisheries transparency

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) and Liberia’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) have launched a three-year initiative titled ‘Creating Greater Fisheries Transparency in Liberia.’ Supported by Oceans5, the program aims to strengthen governance, increase accountability, and combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

NaFAA Director General J. Cyrus Saygbe noted that the initiative seeks to address governance challenges and resolve remaining concerns related to the European Union’s 2017 ‘Yellow Card’ designation. Liberia has already reduced the number of outstanding issues associated with the EU designation from 15 to four.

Ongoing reforms include a new system that has reduced fish-import permit processing times from three weeks to three days. Additionally, NaFAA plans to launch a toll-free call center and short code by October 2026 to allow the public to report suspected fisheries violations.