Egya Nda Cobbinah mending his approved nets for fishing
Most coastal communities in the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region depend on the daily catch of fish by fishermen for their livelihoods.
However, Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is an issue which is currently contributing to the problem of unsustainable fishing in the communities.
This came to light when DAILY GUIDE visited Apewosika, one of the popular fishing communities near Axim, last Wednesday.
This was after the paper gathered that the purported gradual depletion of fish stock in the coastal community, which has led to high cost of fish, was partly due to the usage of illegal fishing methods.
The fishermen complained mostly about the use of monofilament fishing nets by some of their colleagues in their expeditions.
They also accused the law enforcement agencies for not doing enough to stop the use of monofilament or rubber nets in the area.
They indicated that even though the fishermen are aware that using unapproved nets is an illegal fishing method and the law frowns on it, they still use the unapproved nets.
They have, therefore, appealed to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) to penalise recalcitrant fishermen who refuse to use approved fishing nets in their activities.
Some were of the view that the fines which the recalcitrant fishermen are asked to pay after being arrested for using the illegal nets are not deterrent enough, and that the charges should be increased.
“We believe that if those who engage in all forms of illegal fishing are punished severely when arrested, it will serve as a deterrent for other fishermen who engage in illegal fishing to desist from the act,” the fishermen pointed out.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, the chairman of the Canoe Owners Association in the area, Egya Nda Cobbinah, said all forms of illegal fishing required firm and stringent measures to curtail them.
“So I believe serious measures should be put in place to rescue the country’s depleting fish stock,” he emphasised.
He revealed that according to information he gathered, the use of unapproved nets alone in fishing is costing Ghana more than US$30 million each year.
“Note that the amount is different from revenues lost to the use of unapproved chemicals and light-fishing among other illicit fishing methods,” he added.
“We have a responsibility to manage our fisheries resources for the benefit of our people and those yet unborn, and to ensure food security for the entire nation,” he stressed.
He also encouraged strong institutional coordination and right policies to halt illegal fishing activities which would in the long run help to reduce coastal poverty.
He indicated that even though the government’s closed fishing season policy was laudable, the period of the closed season should be changed from July – August to May-June.
According to him, fishermen all over the country have welcomed the initiative as part of measures to address the issue of dwindling fish stocks in the country.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Axim