The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, has sent a very strong warning to players in the fishing industry, especially, the fisher-folks, not to dare try any form of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing since her ministry will not countenance such acts anymore.
Acts such as fishing with light, monofilament nets in marine waters, small mesh sizes, the use of chemicals and explosives, she noted, will not be tolerated in the Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) of the country.
A statement from the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture (MOFAD) dated August 3, 2018, and signed by the Minister, in part read “ … going forward, the MOFAD will have zero tolerance for all forms of illegal fishing …”
The warning was spurred by the close season policy which has been deferred to next year.
MOFAD had initiated a close season policy which should have taken effect from August 7 to September 4, 2018 with the aim of safeguarding the fish stocks and the livelihood of the fisher-folks.
However, the MOFAD had to rescind its decision and rather defer the said policy to next year (2019) following concerns raised by some stakeholders in the fishing industry.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing depletes fish stocks, destroys marine habitats, distorts competition, puts honest fishers at an unfair disadvantage, and weakens coastal communities, particularly, developing countries.
In September 2017, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, warned that illegal methods of fishing as well as the over-exploitation of Ghana’s marine resources cannot continue as they threaten the very essence of the country’s existence.
According to the President, over the years, and especially in recent times, nearly all of Ghana’s marine fisheries and some inland fisheries have been overfished.
This, he said, is buttressed by the last stock survey conducted in April 2016 which shows that sardines, the dominant fish stock, are disappearing from Ghanaian waters.
“Although population growth can be said to be a contributory factor, the “twin-evils” of illegal fishing and over-exploitation of our marine resources have worsened and already dire situation. This cannot continue to happen, as it threatens the very essence of our existence”, he noted.
Ghana’s fish resources are said to be on the decline following huge competition from foreign trawlers, especially, the Chinese.
Reports say the operatives of these foreign trawlers use explosives beneath the water making them to catch more fish.
Some have attributed the country’s shrinking fish stock largely to the adherence of traditional methods of fishing, and advising that fish farming was could be one of the best solutions going forward.
Economic losses in marine fisheries, resulting from poor management, inefficiencies and over-fishing, add up to a staggering US$50billion per year, according to a 2008 World Bank-FAO report.
