Fisheries &
Aquaculture

Overview

570 kilometers of coastline. A blue economy waiting to be built.

Liberia’s 570-kilometer coastline, combined with its rivers, lagoons, and inland water systems, holds significant potential for food security, employment, and economic growth. Fish provides more than 60% of the animal protein consumed nationally, making it central to household nutrition. The fisheries sector is estimated to support over 33,000 direct jobs in artisanal fishing alone, and more than 60,000 people when processing, trade, and ancillary services are included—many of them women. Annual fish production is estimated at 80,000–90,000 metric tons, yet national demand exceeds supply, leading to substantial imports of frozen fish each year to close the gap. Despite this importance, the sector remains underdeveloped and underperforming. Artisanal fisheries dominate production, contributing over 80% of total catch, but operate with limited equipment, weak safety standards, and minimal infrastructure. Post-harvest losses are significant, often ranging between 20–30%, due to inadequate cold storage, poor handling, and limited processing capacity. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing continues to reduce national revenues and deplete fish stocks, while climate change is altering marine ecosystems and affecting fish availability. Market systems are fragmented, with weak aggregation, limited access to finance, and poor price coordination. Women—who play a central role in fish processing and marketing—remain largely informal and excluded from structured financing and business support. Youth engagement is also limited, despite the sector’s potential to generate employment at scale.
BASA Development Initiatives (BDI) addresses these challenges through an integrated approach known as the “Catch–Grow–Process–Market (CGPM) Model”—a systems- based framework that connects sustainable fisheries management with aquaculture development, value addition, and market expansion.
The Catch component focuses on strengthening artisanal fisheries through training in sustainable fishing practices, improved gear use, safety at sea, and compliance with fisheries regulations. BDI works closely with the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority and Collaborative Management Associations (CMAs) to promote community-led co-management, protect breeding zones, and reduce overfishing.
The Grow component expands aquaculture as a viable and scalable alternative to reduce pressure on wild stocks. BDI supports smallholder fish farmers with technical training, pond development, access to inputs (including fingerlings and feed), and business advisory services, with a strong focus on youth-led enterprises. Aquaculture remains underdeveloped in Liberia, contributing less than 5% of the total fish supply, yet it holds significant potential to increase domestic production.
The Process component addresses post-harvest losses and value addition. BDI promotes improved fish handling, smoking, drying, and storage technologies, including energy-efficient smoking kilns and cold chain solutions. This not only reduces losses but also improves product quality and shelf life, enabling access to higher-value markets.
The Market component strengthens value chain coordination by supporting aggregation, improving market information systems, and facilitating linkages between producers, processors, and buyers. BDI also works to improve access to finance through savings groups, cooperatives, and partnerships with financial institutions, enabling actors across the value chain to invest and scale.
Across all components, BDI places strong emphasis on inclusion and enterprise development. Women are supported to transition from informal processors and traders into structured business operators, while youth are engaged across fisheries and aquaculture value chains, including in input supply, production, logistics, and marketing.

The opportunity is clear: with the right investments and systems in place, Liberia’s waters can feed its people, power its economy, and sustain its future.

What We Are Working Toward

Key Objectives