By Chief Mixtli
The European union’s neocolonial fishing practices are being contested by Colonized coastal states like Iran, Kenya, the Maldives, & Sri Lanka. These Colonized nations only fish in the Indian Ocean and are dependent on maintaining the fish stocks not just for themselves, but future generations.
Meanwhile, the EU with its “distant water fleet” of 43 vessels that use Fish-Aggregating Devices (FADs) to easily catch groups of fish (including juvenile tuna that have not yet reproduced), is the single biggest harvester of yellowfin in the Indian Ocean.
Next week, the Indian Ocean #Tuna Commission (IOTC), the regulatory body in charge of managing tuna stocks, will be going over the proposals of 33 parties including the EU & these Colonized nations’ to reduce overfishing & rebuild populations.
“The foreign fishing vessels, like the EU vessels, will move to other oceans, but we won’t be able to move – and we will be stuck with no fish.” says Stephen Ndegwa, assistant director of fisheries at Kenya’s agriculture ministry.
While countries like the Maldives are pushing back against european parasitism the hardest, none of the proposals call for the elimination of european FADs. Essentially, this is becoming a push for legislation over how least to impact european markets and drop all responsibility on the Colonized coastal countries. For example, the Maldives would see a 14% reduction in their catch of tuna, even though 20% of their workforce is involved in coastal fishing. The eu on the other hand would only see a drop of 6%.
Tuna fishing in the Maldives 
The Stilt Fishermen of Sri Lanka
Black Hammer stands with the poor and working class fishers of these Colonized coastal nations & against these colonial ‘band-aid’ measures proposed by colonial & neocolonial #fisheries. We must unite globally as Colonized people to take our land & water back, protect our wildlife and ensure healthy lives for our future generations.
Land Back!
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