THE GHANA Industrial Trawlers Association (GITA) has announced an immediate ban on transshipment, popularly known as Saiko mode of fishing.
Transshipment is a process whereby large foreign fishing vessels sell fishes or cargoes to Ghanaian vessels, boats and canoes on high seas and in this way refuse to berth at the authorized ports, thereby evading payment of taxes to the government.
According to GITA, the decision to ban transshipment follows yellow card threats from the European Union (EU) over refusal by regulators and players in the fishing industry to strictly enforce the fisheries law against Saiko fishing.
A letter issued on November 15 and signed by E. K. Ofori-Ani, GITA Board Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), stated that the ban was enforced after an emergency meeting of GITA Executive Board.
“Perception by the International Community that transshipment of fish at sea from industrial trawlers to canoes is illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing,” according to the letter, was the reason for the ban.
“Threats of Ghana being given a yellow card by the European Union (EU) follow persistent refusal of the regulators and managers of the fishing industry to strictly enforce the fisheries law against Saiko fishing,” the letter read.
It added that “the anticipated consequences of an imposition of a yellow card, among others, are that Ghana will not be able to export fish to the European and American markets and this could result in huge revenue loss to the country as a whole and operators in the Tuna Sector in particular; and Ghana, having signed on to international convention and protocol for sustainable management of the fisheries globally, ought to be seen to be adhering to the tenets of these conventions and protocols.”
GITA has, therefore, instructed its member fishing companies to strictly comply with the said directive.
Ghana alone loses $10 million annually through transshipment on the country’s territorial waters compared to the entire African continent which also loses $30 million through similar means annually.
Although the Fisheries Amendment Act 2014, Act 880, had prescribed stiffer punishment for offenders with a fine from $1 to $4 million, some trawlers companies still engage in the act.
By Vincent Kubi