VZCZCXRO7196
RR RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #0409/01 2901345
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 161345Z OCT 08
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0237
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 9886
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 0182
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUEHC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUENAAA/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH AFB UK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000409 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS 
DOC FOR 3130/USFC/OIO/ANESA/DHARRIS 
STATE PASS USTR FOR USTR AGAMA 
STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ 
STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART 
STATE PASS TDA FOR LFITT, PMARIN 
STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER 
STATE PASS AF/RSA FOR MCCARTY 
STATE PASS OES FOR HOGAN 
STATE PASS NOAA FOR DKLEMM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2018 
TAGS: PGOV ECON NOAA EPA FWS NI
SUBJECT: PIRACY SLOWLY KILLING NIGERIAN COASTAL FISHING 
INDUSTRY 
 
REF: LAGOS 384 
 
Classified By: Consul General Donna M. Blair, Reasons 1.4 (B,D) 
 
1.(SBU) Summary: According to the Nigerian Trawler Owner's 
Association (NITOA), the incidence and violence of attacks on 
the Nigerian coastal fishing fleet has increased 
substantially in the last five years and particularly sharply 
in 2008 causing roughly 65% of operators to quit the business 
over this period.  The fishing fleet receives neither 
effective protection nor support from the Nigerian security 
forces.  Nigeria's rich fishing areas with significant 
potential to supply both domestic and foreign markets, are 
underexploited, increasing unemployment and reducing foreign 
exchange earnings.  The ineffectiveness of the Nigerian 
authorities suggests either incompetence or perhaps 
complicity, at least at a local level.  End Summary. 
 
Piracy Increasing in Frequency and Violence 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a meeting on October 7, the executive council of 
NITOA described to Poloff the increasing threat of piracy to 
the Nigerian fishing industry.  (Note: the International 
Maritime Organization (IMO) defines piracy only as those 
attacks occurring on the high seas, however, the 
International Maritime Bureau (IMB) includes all waterborne 
criminal activities regardless of where they occur.  End 
Note.)  NITOA president, Margaret Orakwusi, expressed concern 
that international attention is focused exclusively on 
attacks against oil supply vessels and ignores the plight of 
coastal fishing companies.  The NITOA members pointed out 
that fishing trawlers are particularly vulnerable to piracy 
due to the fact that when trawling their nets, their vessels 
have a speed of just three to four knots and hauling in their 
equipment takes considerable time; even when not actually 
trawling, fishing vessels generally can not travel at a speed 
of more than eight knots and so cannot escape attackers using 
high-speed, small craft.  NITOA presented statistics showing 
that the number of attacks on their vessels have increased 
from four in 2003 to 55 in 2007 and have topped 70 incidents 
in the first nine months of this year.  Fatalities have also 
increased dramatically from 2 in 2007 to 10 this year 
already. 
 
Two Types of Attacks Experienced by Trawlers 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) NITOA stressed that their fleet was subject to 
essentially two kinds of attacks, assaults and hijackings. 
Assaults are most common and entail one or more small, 
high-powered open boats containing men armed with automatic 
weapons and in some cases explosives boarding the fishing 
vessels, and then beating and terrorizing the crew.  The 
assailants take any cash they can find on board, valuables 
from the crew, electronic equipment such as the vessel's GPS, 
depth sounder, radio, radar etc. and the catch.  All 
fatalities and serious injuries have occurred in this kind of 
incident, and crews have reported various forms of arbitrary 
humiliation and torture while beatings are common.  In one 
case, the assailants remained aboard a trawler for more than 
three days and steamed more 150 nautical miles, using the 
captured vessel as a means to approach other fishing trawlers 
without attracting suspicion in order to carry out at total 
of 15 attacks. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Hijackings are comparatively rare (just three 
incidents this year) and are characterized by comparatively 
good treatment of the crews while held, and release of crew 
and restoration of the vessel intact to the owner after 
 
LAGOS 00000409  002 OF 003 
 
 
payment of the demanded ransom.  According to the released 
crews, the hijacked vessels were all taken to creeks in 
Bayelsa state for the duration of the hijacking, and the 
crews were taken to camps.  Returned crewmen reported that 
the camps were very well organized and well-stocked with 
food, various international currencies and "warehouses full 
of arms."  Furthermore, according to released crewmen, the 
hostage takers and Nigerian security forces appeared to be in 
communication with one another.  In addition to the 
hijackings, many coastal communities demand payment for the 
"right" to fish off their coastline. 
 
Domestic Markets, ForEx Earnings and Employment Affected 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Over the past five years the number of Nigerian 
trawler operators has fallen from 45 to just 15 and the 
number of fishing vessels operating under Nigerian flag has 
been reduced from roughly 250 to 170 primarily due to piracy. 
 This has had an impact both on the fish available in the 
domestic market and foreign exchange earnings from fishing, 
particularly shrimp, NITOA's principal product.  NITOA 
estimated that this year only 10 per cent of Nigeria's 
quality shrimp stocks will be fished.  Foreign sales of 
shrimp used to represent Nigeria's second largest non-oil 
foreign exchange earner, but according to NITOA they no 
longer fall among the top-ten earners.  As the fleet shrinks, 
jobs are lost both at sea and on shore. 
 
GON Unable or Unwilling to Address Problem 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (C) Despite some high-level expressions of concern on the 
part of the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Maritime and Safety 
Administration (NIMASA), including at an International 
Conference on Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea held in Abuja 
in April, NITOA does not feel the Nigerian government is 
responding to its concerns.  NITOA members decried the fact 
that on numerous occasions, they or their captains have 
provided the Nigerian Navy with precise information as to the 
location of pirates, but in no instance did they receive a 
timely response.  NITOA claims that no pirates involved in 
trawler attacks have been stopped, pursued or captured by the 
Nigerian Navy.  NITOA pointed out that small craft with 
out-board motors are often not registered, making it 
impossible to track the boats used in the attacks.  Even 
where registration numbers could be noted, no action was 
taken against the owners of the boats involved. Similarly, no 
action has been taken against the coastal markets that sell 
stolen equipment and/or produce from the attacked vessels, or 
against the more than 60 camps which NITOA claims to have 
been identified along the coast from which the pirates 
operate.  Notably, ransom payments for hijacked vessels and 
crews have been made into bank accounts held at reputable 
banking institutions, raising questions about Nigeria's 
compliance with money laundering laws, NITOA commented.  Last 
but not least, NITOA lamented the absence of effective 
air-sea rescue operations in Nigerian waters. In instances 
where seriously injured crewmen needed emergency medical 
treatment, the trawler operators received no timely response 
to their distress calls and had to organize their own 
transportation to hospital. (Note: During a recent visit by 
the USS Elrod that included training for Nigerian Navy rescue 
operations, no Nigerian Navy vessel was able to put to sea 
for the exercise.  End Note.) 
 
¶7. (C) Comment:  Given growing concerns about both global 
food supplies and fish reserves, the under-utilization of 
Nigeria's rich fishing grounds has international 
implications.  It would benefit global fish markets and 
 
LAGOS 00000409  003 OF 003 
 
 
reduce pressure on other fishing grounds if the Nigerian 
fishing stocks were being properly exploited.  Even given the 
notorious incapacity of the Nigerian Navy, it is hard to 
believe that no action could be taken to discourage the 
piracy, the extortion by coastal communities and the sale of 
stolen goods from vessels.  Particularly disturbing is the 
ability of hostage takers to use accounts at commercial banks 
for ransom payments with impunity.  Given the picture drawn 
by NITOA it is hard to avoid the suspicion of complicity on 
the part of the local security forces in the armed attacks 
against the trawlers. 
 
¶8. This cable has been cleared by Abuja. 
BLAIR