In summary:
- Environmental Justice Foundation Program Officer Mr. Augustine Fayiah claimed that official data shows that 33,000 fishers depend on fishery resources in Liberia
- We have fact-checked the claim and found that while the data is correct, these 33,000 persons are not only fishers – this includes fish processors and dealers.
On May 8, Augustine Fayiah, Program Officer of the Environmental Justice Foundation, claimed in an ELBC interview that there are 33,000 fishers who depend on fishery resources in Liberia.
Mr. Augustine Fayiah made the assertion while discussing the 10 Fishing Principles and relating them to the workings of the National Fishery and Aquaculture Authority of Liberia (NaFAA).
Claim
Said Fayiah: “Official data states that we have 33,000 fishers that depend on fishery resources in Liberia.”
Rating Justification
To fact-check this claim, we searched and found publications which are also shared by NaFAA on its official channels.
The World Bank information document of the Liberia Sustainable Management of Fisheries, published in June 2021, states that the fishery sector provides a means of employment for about 33,000 persons involved in fisheries, including spot fishers and fish dealers.
Also, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations states that an estimated 33,000 fishers and fish processors are operating in both marine and inland fisheries.
Conclusion
Based on this, we conclude that the claim by Mr. Augustine Fayiah that official data states that there are 33,000 fishers who depend on fishery resources in Liberia is mostly correct; however, World Bank and FAO publications show that these 33,000 persons include fishers, fish processors, and fish dealers.
