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New Chinese “Super Trawlers” Threaten to Devastate Liberia’s Fishing Grounds Warns Conservation Group

by Eric Olander
Two fishermen sit on a boat as a colleague weaves a fishing net on the beach of the West Point neighbourhood in Monrovia on June 15, 2016. Zoom DOSSO / AFP

The presence of six newly-built Chinese “super trawlers” in Liberia is prompting widespread outrage and worry that these massive vessels will decimate local fish stocks, according to a new report by the London-based Environmental Justice Foundation.

The Chinese ships arrived last month at the port of Monrovia after starting the fishing season in Mozambique. Their presence is just the latest addition to a growing number of Chinese fishing vessels in West Africa, they largely operating beyond the control of local governments.

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