By Hassan I. Conteh

A fisherman, Morlai Kamara, at Moa Wharf community, says fishing is difficult for them now than before due to scarcity of fish in the sea.

The boat owner of three shared his 20 years’ experience with Africa 24 in fishing since 2005.

“For me the fish are little now. I remember in 2006 I had in a day 10 dozens catch of “Kuta” fish.

Since that time I have never caught even as small as 5 dozens,” Kamara said while sitting on one of his boats called TO ME TO YOU.

He has three boats at Moa Wharf and are parked around Water Quay, otherwise known as Queen Elizabeth ll Port, east of Freetown.

Asked about what brought the dropout in fish-catch, Kamara explained that most of his colleagues believe that thunder lightening could have accounted for the fish loss in the sea. He also said that his colleagues believe the problem is partly because of the “channels” or the bigger fishing boats used to catch the smaller fish in the sea.

He said they are using lines to fish but the bigger boats owners similarly go in for the smaller fish which bother them a lot.

“In 2026, when we had that large catch most of my friends had more caught than I did. Some had 15, 20 dozens of Kuta fish in a day which you will never get to catch today.”

As fish gets scarce in the seas, scientists have attributed the cause to be the effects of climate change in the world due to global warming.

This means that the consequences tell on most markets in Sierra Leone as fish are sold very expensive to buyers.

Kamara recalled selling a dozen fish Kuta just Le 3,000 (New Leones); the same dozen is sold now roughly Le 7 to 8 million (old Leones). That was between 2006-07.

“Since I started fishing in 2005, I have been observing drastic reduction in fish supply in the seas almost every year, and it is so worse now.”

“When we were quite young, we didn’t even go that far away in the sea to catch those small type of fish we call ‘langamina’.”

“But now if you throw a line by the coast you don’t get any,” he said.