Shem Oirere

Shem Oirere

Contributing Editor

Shem Oirere is a Kenyan journalist who previously worked for daily newspapers as a general news correspondent, business reporter and sub-editor before turning to full-time freelancing. For the more than 20 years, he has covered various sectors of Africa’s economy including agriculture, food processing, and maritime industries. A graduate of the University of South Africa, he has traveled within and outside Africa covering various industry events that have a bearing on the continent’s economy on behalf of different international consumer and trade publications. He currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya.

Published on
April 2, 2021

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) has joined in the war against the tilapia lake virus (TLV) with a USD 790,326 (EUR 671,206) Seeding Solutions grant award to the University of Florida in support of development of a vaccine delivery system for halting spread of the disease. Curtiss Healthcare has also provided matching funds bring the total investment to USD 1,830,312 (EUR 1,554,444).

FFAR said although TLV has yet to be

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Published on
March 30, 2021

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is facing a financial crunch due to members delaying their 2021 subscription dues and outstanding arrears.

IOTC Executive Secretary Christopher O’Brien said only one-third of the 30 regional fishery management organization (RFMO) members have paid their 2021 subscriptions, and with the majority having not paid, total arrears have increased to USD 6.2 million (EUR 5.2 million) as of 18 March.

He said

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Published on
March 26, 2021

The Chinese owners of trawlers operating in West Africa are denying Ghana millions of dollars in license revenue and circumventing rules on payment of financial penalties for fisheries related infringements, according to a new report.

Chinese state companies have been cited in the report by Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), which alleges the companies are fleecing the West African country’s ocean resources by camouflaging as

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Published on
March 26, 2021

The global fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated tuna-fishing activities has been slowed by significant gaps in the implementation of proposed counter-measures by five tuna regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs), according to a new report by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation.

The report found the implementation of key elements, such as the requirement for advance notice of port entry, denial of port

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Published on
March 19, 2021

Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) has received new leadership with the appointment of a new chairperson and Secretary of Fisheries by Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan.

Ramkalawan appointed Radley Weber as the new SFA board chairperson to spearhead the new team as the country seeks to promote and develop the country’s fishing industry and associated resources over the next three years. The appointment of both the board and its

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Published on
March 15, 2021

The European Parliament has voted in favor of a new fisheries control system that could pave the way for reforms of key fishing regulations in place for the last 10 years.

The approval of the new system, which received 401 votes in favor, 247 against, and 47 abstentions from members of the  European Parliament (MEPs), is a major boost to efforts to achieve and maintain sustainable fishing activities – including in Africa, where

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Published on
March 4, 2021

South Africa-based Sea Harvest Group defied the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to grow its revenues during the financial year ending 31 December, mainly on the strength of its flexible operational strategies ... 

Photo courtesy of Sea Harvest

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Published on
March 4, 2021

Israel has temporarily banned consumption of seafood from the Mediterranean Sea following an oil spill which yielded volumes of tar along the country’s beaches, and may have contaminated fish and other marine life.

Ministry of Health officials were quoted saying the precaution would be in place until samples from the affected marine life are collated and analyzed by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Times of Israel reported.

The

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Published on
March 2, 2021

The United Arab Emirates’ drive to reduce seafood imports and ramp up domestic production has received a major boost with the opening of a new AED 200 million (USD 54.4 million, EUR 45 million) facility to process, store, and distribute a variety of fish-derived foods in the Middle East …

Photo courtesy of International Holding

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Published on
March 1, 2021

Only six of the 30 African countries with sea cucumber resources have reported total catch their export totals over the past decade, despite an escalating trend of underreporting and illegal trade of it and other high-value marine species in the region.

According to a report by TRAFFIC, an international non-governmental organization that campaigns against illegal trade in wild animals and plants, the current illegal trade in high-value

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