Island boat helping in Sierra Leone

A patrol boat which was gifted to Sierra Leone earlier this year is helping to stamp down on illegal fishing.

The fisheries vessel ‘Panther’ was donated by the government in September after becoming surplus to requirements.

Last week the Sierra Leone Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr Kabia, revealed that the boat had made its first arrest – detaining a ship suspected of fishing illegally.

He says the Panther, which has now been renamed ‘Isle of Man’, has given them a powerful resource to be consistently tough on illegal operators which undermine the country’s development.