A new report by the environmental activist group Greenpeace alleges that hundreds of Chinese vessels are illegally fishing off the coast of West Africa. Greenpeace claims an estimated one-fifth of China’s entire distant water fishing fleet now operates in Africa where they often under-report their gross tonnage that leads to over-fishing while depriving local governments of badly needed tax revenue.
The Chinese foreign ministry rejects Greenpeace’s allegations, claiming that the Chinese operate within the law and in accordance with deals signed with African governments.
Dakar, Senegal-based Greenpeace Africa Ocean Campaigner Ahmed Diame joins Eric & Cobus this week to discuss the report and the group’s recommendations for what needs to be to stop illegal fishing in West Africa.
Show Notes:
- Download a full copy of the Greenpeace report: Africa’s Fisheries Paradise at a Crossroads
- Quartz: Rogue Chinese fishing fleets are taking advantage of Ebola and pillaging West Africa’s seas
