By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA
Cape Coast, June 24, GNA – Fishers, fish traders and processors in the Central Region have called for a ban on the sale and importation of monofilament nets whose widespread availability on the market is undermining efforts to end illegal fishing.
They said enforcement must be accompanied by specific initiatives from the Fisheries Commission (FC) to ensure that compliant, affordable and efficient gears were available to fishers.
They also called for severe punishment for persons who engaged in light fishing, chemicals and explosives mitigation of impacts from offshore oil development and an end to the illegal transhipment of fish activities on the sea.
The fishers recommended that the current law prohibiting “saiko” be upheld and strictly enforced, along with gear restrictions to prevent trawlers from targeting juvenile fish and species meant for canoe fishermen.
These were contained in a ten-point communiqué signed by Nana Obrenu Dabum III, Regional Chairman of the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC) and Madam Peace Abla Gavor, Chairperson of the National Fish Processors and Traders Association (NAFPTA) and presented to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.
It formed part of efforts to get their inputs into current review of the national fisheries law framework.
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), an international non-governmental organisation working to protect the environment and defend human rights and Hen Mpoano, implementing partners of the “The Far Dwuma Nk?do project” spearheaded community consultations with the fisher groups which resulted in the drafting of the communiqué.
The consultations were held with the financial support of the European Union and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the “Far Dwuma Nk?do” – “Securing Sustainable Fisheries” project.
The communiqué provided a number of recommendations to address the crisis in Ghana’s fisheries, including imposing stringent penalties for fishing with light, chemicals and explosives, and empowering communities to be able to enforce the law at a local level.
It recommended for an extension of the closed season for trawlers and reducing vessel numbers which they believed would not only give fish stocks a chance to recover, but offer small-scale fishers an incentive to ensure their own methods are legal and sustainable.
The communiqué further proposed for the new fisheries law to provide for mandatory consultation of fishing communities affected by oil and gas installations and a dedicated Fisheries Impact Assessment, encompassing environmental, social and economic impacts for all offshore and onshore development that may impact upon fishing, landing and processing activities, including those of the small-scale fishing sector.
“Fishing communities must be involved in fisheries decision making. Not only will this improve the equity and sustainability of the policies, if canoe fishers feel they own the law, and have contributed to it, they will be more likely to comply themselves” the communiqué said.
GNA
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS