By Laudia Sawer
Tema, July 5, GNA – Madam Hawa Koomson, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, says the decision to impose a closed season on fishing is scientifically based rather than a political issue.
Madam Koomson noted that it was also backed by law; therefore, no political party could cancel it or prevent its implementation, stressing that the fishing communities should not allow themselves to be used for political gains.
She said this when the ministry distributed rice, cooking oil, can fish, tin tomatoes, fishermen, fish processors, and others at the Tema Canoe Basin to help cushion them during the one-month closed season, which commenced on Monday, July 1.
“We should not do politics with a closed season; don’t allow yourself to be used for politics; the closed season started with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and as legislation, we inherited it and continued; that is governance,” she stressed.
She further explained that the request from the fishing community to shift the closed season from July to June would not be ideal as the month to observe it was identified scientifically, which identified that July was the period that the fish spawned.
“The month to have a closed season was not my decision; science proved the month. In 2016, the season was implemented in May, but it did not yield the needed result,” she added.
Madam Koomson bemoaned the dwindling fish stock in Ghana’s marine waters, explaining that the number of canoes fishing within the country’s waters was huge, with the Tema Canoe Basin alone having about 800 canoes.
She said that in addition to the pressure being put on the sea by the large number of canoes, fishing with chemicals such as dynamites and DDT, as well as washing blue and washing power, coupled with light fishing was a great disservice to Ghana’s fish stock.
She stated that light fishing, for instance, heats up the sea, leading to the death of the fish, while the use of dynamite blasts the ground and rocks, which serve as safe grounds for juvenile fish to hide and grow.
The minister cautioned the fishermen against engaging in illegal fishing activities to augment her outfit’s efforts to replenish the fish stock, reminding them that under her leadership, the hitherto 76 trawlers operating in Ghana’s marine waters had been reduced to 41 to make it easy for artisanal fishermen to get the needed catch.
“Even when the closed season is stopped, if you don’t stop the illegal fishing activities, there won’t be fish in the sea, and there will be no work for you people.”
GNA