Prevent depletion of marine resources - Minister

The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mr Aquinas Tawaih Quansah, has suggested the placing of a ban on fishing during certain periods of the year to allow fish to breed and grow.

He said during the period of the ban Ghanaians could rely on aquaculture,  which the government was making every effort to develop.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Saltpond, Mr Quansah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman, said the nation’s coastal belt coverered about 550 kilometres,  and that  fishermen seemed to be more than  what the coastal belt could contain, leading to over-exploitation.

He appealed to the fishermen to adopt good fishing practices to prevent marine depletion, saying that adopting bad practices such as using light for fishing, the use of chemicals and mesh net could compound the already precarious situation.

Mr Quansah said the government was concerned about the depletion of fishes in Ghanaian waters, leading to poor catches by fishermen, adding that the government had acquired new speed boats for the Navy to track those who engaged in pair-trawling and other bad fishing methods in Ghanaian waters.

The minister advised the fishermen not to be their own enemies, but rather watch-dogs and protect the sea by reporting their colleagues who adopted bad practices in fishing to the authorities.

He noted that fishing gears were expensive and that some fishermen went for loans to invest in the fishing buisiness in the hope of paying back during major fishing seasons.  Therefore they should help make the industry lucrative by desisting from practices  which destroyed marine life.

Source: GNA