President of the International Maritime Institute of Nigeria (IMION), Rear Admiral (Rtd.) Thaddeus Udofia, has stated that Nigeria's continued reliance on seafood imports despite its vast fisheries resources poses a significant challenge to food security, coastal livelihoods, and economic development. He made this statement at the 2026 National Conference on Sustainable Fishing, themed "Sustainable Fishing in Nigeria, From Paddles to Rural Food Security and Coastal Livelihoods."
Udofia noted that Nigeria is endowed with extensive marine and inland water resources capable of supporting food production, employment, and economic growth. However, the country has yet to fully harness the potential of its fisheries sector. Nigeria's maritime domain includes an extensive coastline, its 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), inland waterways, creeks, estuaries, and the Niger Delta Basin, all of which possess significant fisheries and aquaculture potential.
According to Udofia, Nigeria's imports of frozen fish and seafood rose from $606 million in 2023 to $688.5 million in 2024, with a further increase recorded in 2025, citing data from the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN Comtrade). He described the situation as a paradox, given Nigeria's abundant aquatic resources and the growing demand for seafood from its large and youthful population.
Udofia identified overfishing, climate change, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing as major threats to the sustainability of Nigeria's fisheries. He warned that illegal fishing activities within Nigeria's maritime domain were depleting fish stocks, while destructive fishing practices were damaging marine habitats and undermining the livelihoods of artisanal fishermen.
To address the challenges, Udofia advocated for a strategic framework centered on stronger regulation and enforcement, sustainable resource management, technology and data intelligence, institutional collaboration, and community-based fisheries management. He stressed the importance of using modern maritime technology, including satellite surveillance, spatial monitoring, and data analysis, to improve the management of Nigeria's fisheries resources.
Udofia also called for stricter monitoring of industrial fishing activities and effective catch-control measures to ensure that fish stocks and marine habitats have sufficient time to regenerate. He proposed empowering local cooperative societies and giving communities legitimate co-management responsibilities over fishing grounds, adding that diversifying coastal livelihoods would help reduce pressure on wild fish stocks while creating additional sources of income for households.
Udofia urged the government, financial institutions, regulators, academia, and maritime organizations to work together to develop the fisheries sector. He called on academia to provide actionable research, financial institutions to develop tailored credit facilities for artisanal fishing cooperatives, and regulators to enforce fisheries laws effectively.
Key points
- Nigeria's continued dependence on seafood imports poses a major challenge to food security, coastal livelihoods, and economic development.
- Overfishing, climate change, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing are major threats to the sustainability of Nigeria's fisheries.
- A strategic framework centered on stronger regulation and enforcement, sustainable resource management, technology and data intelligence, institutional collaboration, and community-based fisheries management is needed to address the challenges.
