Pirate attacks along Nigeria's coast line are posing a massive threat to the country's fishing industry.

Operators called their trawlers back to land after five men were killed during the weekend.

Margaret Onyema-Orakwusi, first national vice president of the Nigerian Trawler Owners' Association said the situation is getting worse every moment.

Pirates, armed with AK47 rifles, are accused of stealing catches and equipment worth millions of naira. Lately pirates have also started to hijack vessels and demand ransoms for their release.

According to Onyema-Orakwusi, their industry doesn’t have the same protection that oil companies have and that fisherman fear for their lives.

The fishing industry along Nigeria’s coast line generates around US$60-million in exports annually for the country. The industry also employs around 50 000 people directly or indirectly.