01/06/2026
“Advocacy for the Liberia Artisanal Fishermen Association (LAFA)“
In a parallel effort, the Liberia Artisanal Fishermen Association (LAFA) sought our intervention regarding a significant increase in annual license fees and the complicated payment methods imposed by the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA).
The fishermen expressed serious concerns about a drastic decline in their catches, which they attributed to the adverse impacts of climate change. They emphasized that these changes had severely affected their livelihoods, making it increasingly difficult to support their families, especially while also managing new financial burdens.
Specifically, the annual fees were raised from ten thousand Liberian dollars for a 40-horsepower canoe to an astonishing four hundred seventy-five dollars; for 15-horsepower canoes, the fees increased from five thousand Liberian dollars to two hundred fifty dollars; and for peddling canoes, the fees jumped from two thousand five hundred Liberian dollars
to fifty dollars.