In Liberia, small-scale fishers disappear into the Atlantic every year. In 2020, a crew of four was rescued 54 nautical miles offshore — they were among the lucky ones. The Liberia Artisanal Fishermen Association has spent years pushing the government to act. Most of these fishers work from traditional dugout canoes, many without any way to signal where they are if something goes wrong.
Earlier this year, the government bought 400 solar-powered tracking devices called AIS transponders from South Africa and distributed them to fishing communities in four counties: Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, Margibi, and Montserrado. These devices broadcast a boat's position and speed via radio — a straightforward safety solution that's been used on larger commercial vessels for years.
But when Mongabay spoke with fishers in Grand Cape Mount and Margibi, a different picture emerged. Many of the men who received the devices said they're reluctant to use them. Their hesitation isn't about the technology itself. It's about what happens next.
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The core issue is surveillance. Fishers worry that the tracking data will be used to monitor their movements in ways that affect their livelihoods — whether through stricter enforcement of fishing regulations, taxation, or restrictions on where they can work. In a country where artisanal fishing is often the only reliable income source, that uncertainty feels like risk.
There's also a practical gap: the devices work best when fishers actively use them, but without clear communication from the government about why the data matters and how it will be protected, adoption has stalled. Some fishers see the transponders as a one-way street — they broadcast their location, but the government doesn't broadcast its intentions.
This is a familiar tension in conservation and safety work. A tool designed to save lives only works if the people it's meant to protect believe it serves their interests, not just the interests of regulators. The Liberian government framed the initiative as a safety measure, which is genuine. But without addressing the underlying concern — "What happens to this data about where I fish?" — the technology sits unused.
The next phase will likely involve deeper conversation between government officials and fishing communities about data use, transparency, and what safety actually means to the people taking the risks. The devices themselves are sound. The harder part is building the trust that makes people willing to use them.
