By Stephen Simon
Nigeria’s frozen fish and seafood import bill rose from $606 million in 2023 to $866 million in 2025, despite the country’s vast marine and inland fisheries resources.
The Director-General of the International Maritime Institute of Nigeria (IMION), Thaddeus Udofia, disclosed this at the 2026 National Conference on Sustainable Fishing organised by the Maritime Correspondents’ Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) in Lagos. The conference, themed “Sustainable Fishing in Nigeria: Pathways to Growth, Food Security and Coastal Livelihoods,” brought stakeholders together to examine ways of reviving the sector.
Udofia, who cited data from the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN COMTRADE), said fish and seafood imports rose from $606 million in 2023 to $688.5 million in 2024 and $866 million in 2025, representing a compound annual growth rate of 19.54 per cent.
He described the rising import bill as a paradox, given Nigeria’s approximately 853-kilometre coastline, extensive inland waterways, creeks, estuaries and the Niger Delta Basin. He said the country’s inability to turn its fisheries resources into domestic seafood sufficiency remained a major challenge to food security and economic development.
Udofia identified overfishing, climate change and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as major threats to the industry. He also warned that destructive practices by some industrial trawlers could damage marine habitats and reduce fish catches available to artisanal fishermen and coastal communities, with consequences for household incomes and food security.
He advocated greater investment in aquaculture, including modern cage-culture systems in suitable coastal lagoons, as well as stronger Vessel Monitoring Systems, satellite surveillance and effective catch-quota enforcement. He also called for greater involvement of coastal communities in managing and protecting the waterways on which their livelihoods depend.
The Nigerian Trawlers Owners Association (NITOA) also called for urgent investment in modern fishing vessels, affordable finance, fish terminals, cold-chain facilities and maritime security. Its president, Mrs Benedette Okonkwo, represented by Mr Anthony Agwaazor, said ageing vessels, high operating costs, limited financing, inadequate infrastructure, insecurity, regulatory challenges and poor fisheries data were constraining the sector. She urged government and private investors to modernise the fleet while ensuring expansion was guided by scientific assessments of fish stocks to prevent overfishing.
