Industrial fishing harbor plan raises a stink in Sierra Leone

Industrial fishing harbor plan raises a stink in Sierra Leone

Source: mongabay

9/7/2021

Seated along the peninsula south of Freetown is the secluded village of Black Johnson. Rainforest covers the hills that rise behind it, home to chimpanzees and protected bird species. There’s a lagoon that serves as breeding grounds for fish, and sea turtles lay their eggs on the beaches nearby. This largely neglected town suddenly came to wider notice in May, when the government of Sierra Leone announced plans to build a fishing harbor here.

The announcement set off a clamor from environmentalists who argued that an industrial fishing harbor will threaten the ecologies of the beach and lagoon, and property owners apprehensive that government will dispossess them of their lands.

Balu Ibrahim, the information officer for Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, told Mongabay that in 2019 the ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese government for the construction of a fishing harbor. She said the $55 million project includes a berthing and transshipment area for up to 15 vessels at a time as well as a shipbuilding and repair area. She noted that presently ships have to go to neighboring countries for repairs.