By Prince Acquah
Cape Coast, April 09, GNA – The Journalists for Responsible Fisheries and Environment (JFRE), a journalists and media advocacy network, has called on government to rescind its decision of exempting artisanal fishers from the annual closed fishing season.
Expressing disquiet over the decision, the group contended that the move defied the Marine Fisheries Management Plan (2022- 2026) and the Fisheries Act (Act 625) and foiled Ghana’s efforts to replenish its depleting fish stock.
The implementation of the closed season sparks hue and cry among fisherfolks every year amid concerns of hardship with many downplaying the impact of the policy on the marine stocks.
Expectedly, the policy took a swift political twist with the new government promising to exempt the artisanal fishers while in opposition.
But in a statement dated April 08, 2025, and signed by its Executive Director, Kingsley Nana Buadu, JFRE made a strong case against the new directive, warning of dire consequences for the country’s fishery sector.
JFRE expressed the fear that such decisions by the government could erode the gains made through the tireless efforts of academia, the Fisheries scientific working group, Fisheries Commission, NGOs, Civil Society, and the media in recent times.
“It took time, efforts, and resources before getting artisanal fishers to appreciate the need to agree and comply to the annual closed season in a bid to replenish fish stocks.
“The adherence and compliance level last year for instance was phenomenal, an indication of the efforts that have gone into education and awareness creation,” it said.
“We cannot take one step forward towards rebuilding the fish stock as a country and take three steps backwards. We cannot fail posterity as millions of Ghanaians depend on artisanal fisheries for their livelihoods, we must safeguard it,” the statement stressed.
The group, thus, called on President John Dramani Mahama and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) to reconsider the decision and ensure the strict enforcement of all management measures to safeguard Ghana’s fisheries as a matter of urgency.
Specifically, they pushed for strict enforcement of the fisheries laws, the registration and licensing of all canoes, and enforcement of the moratorium on the introduction of new canoes to avoid overcapacity.
“You need to punish fishers who engage in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), ensure the use of multifilament nets by artisanal fishers, ensure compliance with the traditional non-fishing days and an additional fishing holiday,” it added.
JRFE is a Journalist and Media Advocacy Network with interest in fisheries, blue economy, environment, and climate change adaptation.
Over the last decade, JRFE has worked in all the four Coastal Regions of the country, complementing the efforts of state institutions, fishers, fisher associations, academia, NGOs, Civil Society Groups, and funding agencies to safeguard Ghana’s fishery resources.
GNA
AT /KOA