In 1996, some 30 fishing companies registered about 120 vessels to fish in Sierra Leone waters. Today some seven or eight registered fishing companies operate about 40-50 vessels. Thirteen are Korean, of which 10 are shrimpers and three are trawlers. Under the Chinese agreement with Okeke Agencies, Okeke has purchased two of the Chinese vessels outright. None of the three companies have proper shore facilities for processing of the catch, be it finfish or shrimp.
Limited processing is done on board the shrimpers, which at times catch also cuttlefish.
The semi-processed product is transshipped to carrier vessels, which take it to the port of Las Palmas, where it is fully processed and exported. Most of the species caught are Ethmalosa spp. The artisanal marine fisheries sector produces about 70 percent of fish consumed by the domestic market. This may be quite high in quantity, but the value is quite low. Inland fisheries Sierra Leone has a dense drainage network comprising the main river systems, which empty into the Atlantic Ocean.