Porto Amboim - The Minister of State and Head of the Military Affairs of the President of the Republic, Francisco Furtado, announced Wednesday in Porto Amboim, coastal Cuanza-Sul province, that the government is going to give greater competence to maritime surveillance with the creation of the National Coast Guard soon.
Francisco Furtado, who was speaking as part of the fulfillment of a presidential order on illegal fishing on the coast, stressed that the National Coast Guard will be an important identity in the control of the sea coast and will work under the coordination of the National Navy.
"We intend to correct and improve what is wrong along our coast and take measures to ensure that our territory is better supervised and controlled, so that maritime resources are not squandered," the minister said.
According to the Minister of State, there are concerns about illegal fishing in Cuanza Sul, which has caused a shortage of fish and the presence in the seas of that province of large fishing vessels with trawling systems and some violations on the sea coast.
"This situation in the municipality of Porto Amboim is not new (...), but the government is committed to better equipping the National Navy, with a view to ensuring greater security, hence the inauguration of different maritime coordination and surveillance centers," Furtado said.
With regard to maritime violations, the minister emphasized that measures are being taken to improve coastal surveillance, with the aim of putting an end to illegal fishing and the use of inappropriate boats in places reserved for smaller vessels.
The Minister of State defended the need to build a quay for inspection and patrol units, as well as creating the conditions for fish to be controlled.
The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Carmen Neto, on her turn said the transgressions that occur in Angolan seas are due to the bad practices of operators and impunity and the absence of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Inspection Service.
"The needs are greater and the resources are few, hence the scale of the crimes. On a vast coastline, fishing by foreign vessels (....) doesn't make the job much easier, and the current picture will be improved with the launch of a National Coastguard and the development of public policies," Neto said.
Illegal and undeclared fishing is a concern the minister said, adding that the enforcement will be stepped up with a focus on digitizing and monitoring fishing, through a proposal via international agreements with the Southern African Development Community, particularly Mozambique.
The minister said Cabinda and Namibe provinces are among those with the most illegal fishing activities recorded.
The maritime coastline covers 1,650 kilometers from the mouth of the Cunene River to the Massabi Lagoon (Cabinda).
The territorial sea is two miles long, 24 miles of which is the contiguous zone where migratory, health and customs surveillance takes place, while 200 miles is the exclusive economic zone.LC/DAN/AMP
