Fisheries ministry trains judges, magistrates and state attorneys
The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has adopted a national plan of action to c
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ombat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in the country.Cabinet has also approved the National Marine Fisheries Management Plan (2015-2019).
The sector Minister, Ms Sherry Ayittey, announced this at the opening of a training programme for judges, magistrates and state attorneys in Accra yesterday.
She said the Fisheries Regulations Law had also been amended in the government’s bid to enhance effective management of fisheries resources.
Ms Ayittey said the training programme had come at a critical time “such that those of you in the prosecution chain responsible for adjudicating fisheries infractions will gain current understanding for effective delivery of justice.”
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, in a speech read on her behalf, said there was the need to enhance skills of judges and magistrates for them to tackle legal challenges in the fisheries sector.
“The need to protect fish stock is paramount because a large proportion of people living in coastal communities depend largely on fish resources as food and economic sustenance.
She said the fisheries regulation was clear on what fisheries infractions were and how they must be prosecuted.
She thanked the Ministry of Fisheries and other sponsors for organising the training programme which she said would go a long way to develop Ghana’s fisheries sector.
Global statistics
An estimated 10 billion euros is lost annually to IUU fishing activities in the world, a 2014 European Commission report has revealed.
The loss represents 15 per cent of the world fish catch.
“Apart from the economic cost, there is also a common global agreement that IUU fishing has very harmful ecological social consequences,” Ms Ayittey said.
“Recent studies have also thrown more light on overlap between IUU fishing and maritime crime such as piracy and drug smuggling, people smuggling and other maritime security-related issues,” she stated.
