The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has partnered with the Ghana Police Service’s Marine Unit and the Ghana Navy to purge the country’s marine area of illicit fishermen.
The action is also part of the ministry’s response to fishermen who do not fully adhere to the 2021 restricted fishing season and Illegal fishing operations. This includes transshipment, often referred to as Saiko, the use of dangerous and hazardous substances such as dynamite, use of explosives, and powdered soap, as well as the use of unauthorized fishing nets.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Mrs. Hawa Koomson, during a ceremony to announce the end of the fishing season. She held that the process was based on scientific advice and thorough engagement with stakeholders in the fishing industry.
Artisanal and semi-industrial fleets will be prohibited from fishing between July 1 and August 31, 2021, while industrial trawl boats will likewise be prohibited from fishing between July 1 and August 31, 2021.
In 2016, the ministry and the Fisheries Commission introduced the limited fishing season in line with section 84 (1) of the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625) and the Marine Fisheries Management Plan (2015-2019), in order to preserve the country’s decreasing fish supply. Although the Act establishing the close season supposed to start in 2019, this has not happened owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Excessive fishing pressure, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, among other factors, have contributed to the country’s overall fish landings declining over the past decade.
Mrs. Koomson said that attempts are being made to acquire four patrol boats for monitoring, control, and surveillance operations in marine waters and cautioned fishermen around the coasts to abstain from illegal fishing activities or face prosecution.
According to her, illicit fishing operations threaten to undermine the sector’s advantages “if no action is taken”, stressing that It is critical the appropriate steps be taken to alleviate excessive fishing pressure and to recover overfished fish in order to restore reduced species populations”.
The minister said that the fisheries industry was critical to the nation’s growth in terms of employment and income generation, as well as food and nutrition security. She said that the industry now employs three million people across the value chain, that is why it is important the sector is protected to continue serving those who depend on it for economic gains.
