FishNet Alliance members and allies from different African countries met at Okrika waterfront, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria for her first General Assembly on 8th August, 2019.
The platform of the general assembly was also used to link the FishNet Alliance to Oilwatch Africa (a Network of CSOs fighting to end fossil fuels dependency in Africa) with the aim of working together to protect marine ecosystems, and to formalise the organisational structure of the Alliance in Africa.
The fishers agreed that there is urgent need to save the marine ecosystem from corporate capture and to restore the livelihood and dignity of fishers.
In addition, the Alliance members stressed that the impact of the extractive industries in one location has direct, or indirect impacts on fishing communities in other locations as pollution knows no geographical boundaries.
The Assembly elected an interim International Steering Committee with one member from Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Nigeria, Togo , DRC respectively. Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) serves as the International Secretariat.
Standing on its principle of what affects one – affects all, FishNet Alliance, allies and community representatives at the assembly resolved and demanded as follows:
- Extraction of fossil fuel/minerals of any kind offshore and onshore must stop and no new fields should be opened.
- There should be increased participation in policy spaces of fishers with regard to the marine environment.
- There should be promotion of traditional knowledge of fishing practices, including those that would help mitigate climate change impacts.
- All Indiscriminate displacement of fishing settlements and sand-filling of fishing creeks and rivers should be stopped.
- The use of chemicals and explosives to enhance fishing in our waters should be discouraged in our coastal communities.
- We strongly campaign for the rights of the fishers to earn a living from the fishing and contribute to the economy of their countries without hindrance. We hereby press for justice and/or compensation in cases where these rights have been abridged by corporations and governments.
- We condemn industrial fishing on local grounds.
- FishNet Alliance in every country should have a one day of action which may be linked up with the World Ocean Day, or the International Day for Artisanal Fishers.
- Corporations who have polluted the marine environment should clean-up immediately.
These resolutions were agreed on by the general assembly participants from Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Nigeria, Togo, DRC
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