By Laudia Sawer
Tema, July 11, GNA — The Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG) has made an urgent call to the Parliament to prioritise the extension and strict enforcement of the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ), a critical area reserved for artisanal fishers.
Nana Kweigyah, the National President of CaFGOAG, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said that the association was keenly following the ongoing consideration in Parliament and urged for the prioritising of the extension of the IEZ.
He, on behalf of artisanal fishers, commended the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs of the Parliament of Ghana for the consultative engagement with artisanal fishers on the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill currently before Parliament.
The IEZ, he explained, is the lifeline of over three million Ghanaians whose livelihoods, nutrition, and culture depended on a healthy and accessible marine ecosystem.
He added, however, that in recent years, the zone has come under intense pressure from industrial vessels fishing too close to shore, often in violation of existing laws, resulting in declining fish catches for artisanal fishers, destruction of fishing gear and canoes, and degradation of marine habitats, and further weakening local communities’ motivation to engage in conservation measures.
He indicated that in view of this, the 2022-2026 Marine Fisheries Management Plan provided for an extension of the IEZ as the government recognises the need to protect the IEZ, artisanal fisheries, and marine habitats.
Nana Kwigyah said: “An extension of the IEZ to 12 nautical miles or 50 m, whichever is farther, currently before Parliament aligns with available scientific evidence and the precautionary principle necessary to strengthen the sustainability of Ghana’s fisheries and ensure intergenerational equity in the use of fisheries resources, and the same was discussed at the consultative meeting with the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs.”
“The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau already have an IEZ of 12 nautical miles, and many more countries are in the process of extending their IEZ,” he added
The CaFGOAG, therefore, respectfully urged Members of Parliament to support the extension of the current IEZ as a matter of food security, social justice, and national resilience.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah