The petitioner says that the use of monofilament nets and beach seine nets for fishing is a traditional and long-standing artisanal fishing practice by Lamu inhabitants.

... [t]he exporters are arguing that the law should ban the local consumption of the species, which is native to River Nile and Lake Albert in Uganda as a measure to protect the Nile perch which is currently threatened by illegal fishing methods. Goswami who says that they have exported fish to the European market for the last 22 years, demands that local consumption should be limited to tilapia.

While over-fishing and the climate crisis have contributed to dwindling catches elsewhere in Lake Malawi, the waters around Mbenje remain abundant with fish – something many attribute to the maintenance of the traditions established long ago and handed down generation to generation ever since.

"But although the Indian Ocean is bordered by Africa, Asia and Australia, the single biggest harvester of yellowfin in the area is the European Union. EU nations – principally Spain and France – operate a “distant water fleet” of 43 vessels that fish the seas thousands of miles from home. In 2019 they caught 70,000 tonnes of yellowfin, more than Indian Ocean coastal states such as Iran (58,000 tonnes), Sri Lanka and the Maldives (44,000 tonnes each)."

He managed to convince the court to allow him file the case as a pauper, without having to pay any litigation charges. The case will be mentioned on January 26, 2021.