Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nationsfor a world without hunger
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries. Dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. Part I Statistics and main indicatorsThe Profile (2019)Additional information⇧Part I Statistics and main indicatorsPart I of the Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profile is compiled using the most up-to-date information available from the FAO Country briefs and Statistics programmes at the time of publication. The Country Brief and the FAO Fisheries Statistics provided in Part I may, however, have been prepared at different times, which would explain any inconsistencies. Country briefPrepared: August 2019 Fisheries are important to the Republic of Sierra Leone, as these contribute to food security and export earnings. Fisheries contributed 9.1 percent of the national GDP in 2010. Capture production in 2017 is estimated at 202100 tonnes, of which 2100 tonnes are from inland water production. The large increase of marine capture production since 2004 is the consequence of a new frame survey which produced revised raising factors for artisanal fisheries. Waters in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are also exploited by foreign fleets through fisheries agreements with the Sierra Leone government. The industrial sector operates mainly from the capital city, Freetown. It consists of an estiated total of 138 decked vessels and includes trawlers or shrimpers which produce fish for the local market but also produce high-priced export products such as shrimp, cuttlefish, spiny lobster and demersal finfish. A significant portion of the fleet is made up of foreign vessels operating under licence agreements as well as joint-venture arrangements. These vessels exploit pelagic as well as demersal stocks. Artisanal fishing activities are carried out by an estimated 7 395 canoes (2017) and employing about 44 000 fishers all along the coast (2017). The artisanal marine fisheries sector produces about 70 percent of fish consumed on the domestic market. Inland fisheries are found in rivers, lakes, flood plains and swamps. Inland fishing is mostly undertaken at subsistence level with involvement about 27 000 fishers. Introduced in the 1970s with fish farming and oyster culture, aquaculture has not well developed despite repeated efforts. Annual production of aquaculture is estimated at 85 tonnes in recent years from about 2 500 small family fish ponds. In 2017 exports of fish and fishery products were valued at USD 10.4 million and imports at USD 2.8 million. Annual per capita consumption of fish was estimated at 26.6 kg in 2016 - among the highest in the continent.
General geographic and economic indicators Key statistics
Source: FAO Country Profile FAO Fisheries statistics Updated 2019⇧The ProfileThis country profile provides statistics and indicators produced through FAO’s Statistics programmes, supplemented with information derived from national and other sources and valid at the time of compilation. Full text of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Country Profile available at /fishery/docs/DOCUMENT/fcp/en/FI_CP_SL.pdf ⇧Additional informationFAO Thematic data bases PublicationsMeetings & News archive⇧ |
Fisheries Division
| Fisheries Division |
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