As Ghana implements the 2022 Closed Season for the fisheries sector, the Convenor for Fisheries Alliance, Mr Kwadwo Kyei Yamoah, has reminded all fishers – artisanal, inshore and industrial trawler fishers – to stay off fishing for the period to replenish the stock.
The fishing closed season was an important fisheries conservation tool, he said.
As directed by Fisheries Commission, all artisanal fishers are expected to observe the Closed Season for one month; from July 1 to August 1, 2022.
Industrial fishers are, however, expected to stay off fishing for two months, beginning July 1 to September 1, 2022.
Mr Kyei Yamoah, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Takoradi on Saturday, appealed to the fisher folks to comply with the Closed Season as a very effective tool for managing Ghana’s fisheries, especially in the face of the declining fish stock.
He said the conservation tool could be effective if measures were put in place to enforce the fisheries laws.
He, therefore, advised the Government and stakeholders to institute effective mechanisms to make the fisheries laws more binding to ensure proper compliance by fishers.
Mr Yamoah urged the fisher folks to use the close season as an opportunity to replace all their “illegal nets” to help reduce the catching of juvenile fishes leading to depleting fish stocks.
He appealed to the Government and stakeholders to engage the fisher folks on diversifying livelihoods to reduce the economic impact that may arise due to the closed season.
“Already there are too many fishers chasing the dwindled fish stock and so we need to address these issues through supplementary or diversified livelihoods for fishers to reduce poverty,” he said.
“With proper management of the supplementary livelihoods, subsequent closed seasons will not be an issue because fisher folks will have something to rely on”.
He appealed to stakeholders to support the Fisheries Commission to make the implementation of the close season a success.