39 African countries had less than 1% or no territorial sea protection - fisheries worth $24bn

[icarusfoundyou]

[quote]AFRICA’S seas and oceans - three times the size of its landmass - can be a major contributor to the continent’s transformation and growth.

In 2011 the value added of the fisheries sector as a whole was estimated at more than $24 billion, 1.26% of the GDP of all African countries. The highest value attributed to the marine artisanal fisheries (0.43%) and marine industrial fisheries (0.36%). In the West African region alone fisheries generate some $400 million annually, representing the single most important source of foreign exchange for the region. [/quote]

[quote]Africa’s oceans, like those across the globe, have been the intentional dumping ground for all sorts of waste including sewage, industrial run-off and chemicals. With advances in fishing equipment, larger ships and new tracking technologies, many fish stocks in these waters can be tapped and reduced more significantly. And that’s not even touching on illegal fishing issues - West Africa alone could be losing $1.3b annually to illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing activities.[/quote]

source: [url]http://m.mgafrica.com/article/2016-02-29-africa-blue-economy[/url]

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Not shocked people might be exploiting poor maritime policing in such a way. I suspect the $1.3b figure is a bit low however.

[Keyblockor1]

China's overfishing of Somalian seas is the reason why there's such a proliferation of Somalian pirates today.

They couldn't stop the trawlers so they were left with little to no fish, boats and guns. Then they looked at all the cargo ships going by and one thing led to another.