Sierra Leone: Fishing Sector Reaps Profits - but at a cost

It’s another case of natural resources proving to be a mixed blessing. While Sierra Leone’s government gratefully accepts revenues generated by the country’s fishing industry, illegal trawling by foreign vessels is providing cause for concern. "We’ve been able to generate close to four billion leones (about 1.6 million dollars) for this year alone compared to about two billion leones (just over 800,000 dollars) in 2002. This is remarkable, and would help shore up our ailing economy," says Okere Adams, minister for fisheries and marine resources. The profits stem partly from fishing licenses and royalties.