By George K Momo
MONROVIA, August 9 (LINA) – The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has concluded a two-day Fisheries Reporting Training for 12 Liberian journalists representing newspapers, radio, and television stations.
The training held in Congo Town, Monrovia from August 5-6, 2026 brought together reporters from the Liberia News Agency (LINA), Liberia Broadcasting System (LBA), Hot Pepper Newspaper, Daily Observer, OK FM, Ruter News and the West Africa Democracy Radio among others.
The intensive training was held under the Oceans5-funded project, Creating Greater Fisheries Transparency in Liberia. The training is aimed at strengthening journalists’ understanding of Liberia’s fisheries sector, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, including human rights abuses at sea, fisheries transparency issues, and the protection of the Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ) that is reserved for artisanal fishers.
Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing remains one of the greatest threats to Liberia’s marine resources, coastal livelihoods, food security, and fisheries governance.
It can be recalled that during the Liberia National Fisheries and Investment Conference (Kpongama 2026) held in March, President Joseph Nyumah Boakai Sr., underscored the seriousness of the issue, noting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is a theft on the future of Liberian children.
Despite the significance of the fisheries sector to Liberia’s economy and food security, media coverage or reports about fisheries governance and transparency issues remain limited.
MR. Abraham N. Nyorkor, EJF, Communications and Media Officer said the training was designed to equip participating journalists with the knowledge and practical skills to understand the nature and impact of IUU fishing in Liberia, recognize the human right abuses associated with fishing activities at sea, identify and investigate fisheries-related issues of public interest, produce accurate, evidence-based, ethical, and compelling human interest stories, and promote accountability, transparency, and sustainable fisheries management through responsible journalism.
He indicated that the training also deepened the participants’ knowledge on the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, an international framework developed to improve transparency in global fisheries and combat IUU fishing.
Following the indoor technical sessions on August 5, participants went on a day-long field visit to the West Point Fishing Community, where they engaged directly with artisanal fishers and fishmongers to get firsthand insight about the impacts of IUU fishing on fishing communities, importance of protecting the Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ), the community experiences and perspectives on fisheries governance, and practical opportunities to identify and develop story ideas by applying the reporting skills gained during the training.
Mr. Nyorkor pointed out that it is his anticipation that all participating journalists will ensure that all stories produced from the training accurately reflect the facts and information presented during the sessions, distinguish verified evidence from opinion or speculation, avoid misinformation and sensationalism, and respect ethical journalism standards when interviewing community members and other stakeholders.
”The media has an important role in public awareness about the fisheries sector of Liberia. From this training, we expect your various platforms to elevate stories from the sector,” he stated.
He said the EJF believes that informed, accurate, and investigative journalism plays a critical role in promoting transparency, protecting Liberia’s marine resources, and supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities in Liberia.
For his part, Austine Saye Wehye, Director, Research and Statistics at the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) commended the journalists for taking interest in the fisheries sector of Liberia.
He extended gratitude to EJF for buttressing NaFAA’s efforts and her partner Oceans5 for funding the project.
He added that the training was necessary on grounds that it has increased the participants’ interest in telling the stories of the country’s fisheries sector nationally, to the region and the world by extension.