Mavis Hawa Koomson
MINISTER OF Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mavis Hawa Koomson, has advised member states of the Fisheries Committee of the West and Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) to go beyond the meetings and implement action plans to give visibility to artisanal fisheries and aquaculture.
According to her, artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, though described as small in scale but big in value, with limited levels of technology and small capital investment, were the backbone of the fishing industries.
Hon. Koomson made these statements as the Chairperson of FCWC at the 14th session of the Conference of Ministers of the FCWC on the theme “Supporting Effective Fisheries Management for Sustainable Ocean Economy, ” in Accra.
She also indicated that the country’s fishery industry was faced with the over-exploitation of resources of the marine and inland water bodies due to the ever-increasing demands to meet for fish by the populace.
“Aquaculture development offers our nations the alternative to bridge the gap between demand and supply of fish. And we are prepared to share its experience in implementing a flagship programme dubbed Aquaculture for Food and Jobs,” she added.
The minister also appealed to the member states of the FCWC to recognise the impact of marine pollution from plastic waste on fisheries resources and start thinking about a regional approach to handle the matter, noting that the plastic waste could be carried by currents from one country to the other. “Let us take the positives of the summit to ensure that our seas and oceans are protected.”
The sector minister acknowledged the technical and financial support of foreign partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and FCWC, amongst others.
The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) is an intergovernmental organisation dealing with regional cooperation in fisheries among its member States.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke