Nigeria’s fishing industry is dying —Whalley

Stories by PAUL OGBUOKIRI

SHIPPING expert and Managing Director of Blue Fome Limited, Captain Benny Whalley has said that lack of proper maintenance of fishing trawllers is a major reason why the fishing industry is not viable.

Whalley who stated this said that if only trawller owners can imbibe the core value of quality maintenance into their operations, the industry would become more viable noting that a vessel is a self-sustaining asset.

"Any businessman just jump into the business without first having any fore knowledge or background and they are not even willing to employ the experts. So, what has been happening over the years is that they run these vessels, make a lot of profit but they do not maintain these vessels.

So, their efficiency and productivity dwindle and when it gets to a certain point which they have acclimatised their lifestyle with their income expectation, they suddenly go agound and they can no longer sustained their equipment. That is why you see so many fishing vessels lined up in Apapa," Whalley said.

Whalley also describ ed the fishing trawlling business as a lucrative one which is worth investing in.

"In recent times you have heard about piracy at sea, were the pirates were attacking fishing trawllers because the industry itself is very lucrative and would believe that majority of the fish we trawl here in Nigeria are so valuable that they do not sell in our local market b ut are exported. That goes to tell you that our fishes are more vluable in the international market because of