for violating the General Fisheries Act, but that “eventually leads to negotiations with the fishermen,” he said.
“They charge you, for example, a fine of 1,250,000 CFA. [cerca de 1.900 euros]but if you negotiate with the so-called fiscal people, they tell you to pay 300 thousand cfa [cerca de 457 euros] and ask to transfer money to the Orange Money number,” Leni said.
Orange Money is a mobile phone balance transfer application that is widely used in transactions in Guinea-Bissau, especially in areas where there are no commercial banks.
The president of the association of artisanal fishermen of Guinea-Bissau doubts that this money will reach the state treasury.
“They don’t even give us a piece of paper as a receipt. We appealed to the President of the Republic because this is pure corruption, and we know that he is against corruption,” said Abulai Leni, who said he had evidence.
Another complaint filed by Leni concerns a ban under the General Fisheries Law on the use of monofilament nets called “chas” by Guinean fishermen, material that he says entered the country “with the connivance of the authorities”.
The president of the Guinea-Bissau artisanal fishermen’s association says he does not understand the fact that “customs let through material that is sold on the market but is no longer allowed to be caught.”
Aboulaye Leni pointed to “another confusion” when he talks about the various agencies that control fishing activities, namely the National Guard, the Coast Guard and the Marine Police.
The person in charge stated that “the confusion is so great” that when an artisanal fisherman is caught out of the law, he is forced to pay a fine on the orders of Boubaque’s captaincy.
“They assign you a fine and ask you to pay it right there. That is, the same entity that applies the fine collects it, but there are no institutions where you can appeal,” said Abulai Leniy.
The president of the artisanal fishermen’s association speaks of the “absurdity” of the very size of the fine, which, according to him, was higher than the cost of all fishing equipment.
“The canoe, net and engine cost less than six million CFA francs. [cerca de 9.147 euros], but the state charges us a fine of six million CFA francs. Who can pay all this money,” Leni asked.
A source at the Ministry of Fisheries told Lusa that this value has been fixed “since it was discovered” that some Guinean fishermen pose as owners of fishing canoes, but they are in fact owned by foreign nationals.
The General Fisheries Law of Guinea-Bissau provides for different levels of amounts to be paid by local and foreign fishermen.
In view of “embarrassing situations”, the president of the association of artisanal fishermen of Guinea-Bissau fears that “one day there will be no more fish on the market” in the country.
Aboulaye Leni told Lusa that he had requested an audience with the country’s authorities, namely Guinean President Oumaro Sissoko Embalo and government members who work in the fishing sector.