The Fisheries Ministry deploys Fish Monitors/Observers on board every industrial vessel registered in the country providing fisheries data/statistics on species caught and production levels and reporting on all fishing activities.
The Sierra Leone Maritime Administration has set-up a National Ballast Water Task Force for the management of Ballast Water since it is now considered a major threat to our oceans.
The Sierra Leone Maritime/Naval Wing conducts regular patrols along our waters checking on piracy, security and illegal fishing by industrial vessels in our territorial waters.
The Forestry Department, in collaboration with NGO partners, are involved in census, surveys and monitoring of water birds and marine mammal species.
The African Development Bank funded project in Sierra Leone for artisanal fisheries development and monitoring.
The European Union-funded project, Institutional Support for Fisheries Management, under European Union’s 9th European Development Fund Programme for Sierra Leone aims to foster sustainable fisheries management through prudent use of resources for economic growth and sustainable development. The expected outcomes of the project are to establish the status of current fish resource biomass and exploitation patterns, preparation of realistic policy statement, development conservation measures and management plans and institutional strengthening. A major component is the evaluation of the current fisheries resources biomass by conducting fisheries research surveys. Six surveys are to be carried twice annually over the next three years of the project.
SLEPA continues to monitor mining companies implementation of their Environmental and Social Mitigation Projects, particularly, the rutile and bauxite mines that make use of the water resources of the River Jong, a major river in the country, the Addax – Bio Energy Project from sugar cane to ethanol that makes use of the waters of the Rokel River and the Iron Ore Mines (London Mining and African Minerals) that makes use of the waters of the Rokel River downstream.
Conservation Society of Sierra Leone, an NGO, is involved in conservation and management of species through censusing, surveys and monitoring of water birds and marine mammals, and coastal ecosystem.
PRCM has provided financial and technical support to the Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone for the establishment of Marine Protected Areas in Sierra Leone using the Integrated Management Approach in Coastal Zone Management.
Forestry and Wildlife Department are implementing a PRCM Project on the West African Mangrove Initiative. The project is been implemented along around Yawri Bay, a major fish and salt production area where mangrove exploitation has become alarming.
In May 2009, the Ministry of Fisheries burnt close to 800 nets that were not acceptable mesh sizes. With this there is now public outcry in Freetown and the regions about the drop in table size fishes which the ordinary man can afford. They are not conscious of the fact that this is a measure of conservation that would help the resource depletion which is the current trend. Restrictions on beach sand extraction and beach face constructions.
Industrial and artisanal Vessel monitoring system in place.
Immigration monitoring system in place for smuggling of goods and animals.
Environmental monitoring and research activities of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and the Institute of Marine biology and Oceanography [is] in place.