Some fishermen from four regions yesterday registered their protest against the dissolution of the Board of the National Premix Commission by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.
The ministry dissolved the board in November 2014, following petitions and allegations of mismanagement of premix fuel.
The fishermen, who were from the Central, Western, Volta and the Greater Accra regions, converged at the sector ministry for the demonstration to register their protest.
They also called for the removal of the sector minister, Ms Sherry Ayittey.
No consultation
According to them, since her assumption of office as the sector minister, Ms Ayittey had not visited the fishing communities to familiarise herself with their operations.
Speaking to journalists, the spokesperson for the fishermen, Nana Akwesi Been from the Axim Traditional Area, said that because the minister did not have first-hand knowledge of their challenges, she had been taking decisions that were not beneficial to them.
Nana Been said the fishermen were not consulted by the ministry prior to the dissolution and reconstitution of the board, contrary to the normal practice.
“The operations of the old board benefited all fishing communities because they collaborated with us and their decisions were obviously informed by our recommendations. The new board seems not to know so much about the fishing communities and, therefore, they distribute the premix fuel inappropriately,” he added.
That, he said, was affecting fish production in general and the income of fisher folk.
He explained that because some fishing areas were known for bumper fish harvests, the distribution of premix fuel was, in the past, based on the fish-harvesting capacity of every fishing community.
Nana Been said the refusal of the current board to operate with that principle was affecting fishing and income of the fishermen in those communities.
He also said the limited premix fuel given to the fishermen in those areas had resulted in areas known for bumper harvests obtaining lower catches.
The minister did not show up to receive the petition and officials at the ministry explained that she was engaged in another meeting since she was not aware that any petition would be presented to her.
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