Some fishermen in Accra have called on government not to go ahead with a decision to place a ban on fishing activities in August.
The government announced in June that there will be a ban on all fishing activities in the month of August.
The reason for the ban has however not been clearly stated.
Some fisher-folk at James Town and Chorkor in Accra have told Citi News that the ban must not be implemented because it will affect them and their families.
“I make between GhC100 and GhC500 daily. I can’t do any work but fishing; I have been doing it since childhood. I have been a fisherman for 46 years and have never witnessed a ban on fishing activities. We are against it,” one of them stated.
Another said that if the government should ban fishing, he will not be able to take care of her family.
“I have been doing this work for forty years. This is how I am able to cater for everyone in my family. What does the government expect me to do when the ban is imposed?”
Fisheries Alliance predicted halt in fishing activities in 2017
In 2017, the co-convener of the Fisheries Alliance, Richster Nii Armah Armafio, said that the Fisheries Commission was working with the implementers of the Sustainable Fisheries Management Plan Project to bring a halt to all fishing activities for one month this year.
The reason given at the time was that such an act would help in the regeneration of fish stock in Ghana’s fishing waters.
“Scientists are telling us that Sadinella stocks are pregnant around August and so if you have observed when you get them, they have a lot of eggs in them. The idea is to allow August to pass so that they will lay their eggs for the juveniles to go into the wild. The adults will then be available for capture.”
“You need every fish to spawn at least once to keep the cycle going. If we want to restock our fisheries, we need not disturb the spawning process.”
Government places ban on import of tilapia
Meanwhile, the government has placed a six-month ban on the import of all ornamental fishes and tilapia species.
This is a proactive measure to tackle the emerging tilapia lake virus.
“The attention of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) has been drawn to the fact that cases have been reported across Africa, Asia and South America that the virus represents a huge risk to the global tilapia industry,” the ministry said in a statement.
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By: Jeffrey Owuraku Sarpong/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
