Takoradi (W/R), Nov. 22, GNA – The Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG) has called for sustainable small scale fisheries to restore the health of the oceans.
The association said even in its current turmoil, small scale fisheries provide food and livelihoods for millions of people globally and in Ghana.
It is a major source of livelihood in fishing communities, providing food protein and other essential requirements for the Ghanaian population.
This was contained in a statement issued by the association and signed by its Chairman Nana Kweigyah.
The statement said small scale fisheries remained not just an economic activity for the fishers, but a way of life in fishing communities along the coastal belt of Ghana.
The statement said, “to lose small scale fishers is to lose the identity of artisanal fishers and fish processors.”
The statement, therefore, urged the artisanal fishers to lead in addressing the ills in the sector to protect small scale fisheries for global food security.
“As we mark this year’s World Fisheries Day and prepare for International Year Of Artisanal Fisheries (IYAFA) 2022), CaFGOAG called on fisheries stakeholders to stand up for small scale fisheries and help restore the health of the ocean,” the statement said.
The statement said this could be done when there was a stop to Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
It said, “artisanal fishers can be assured that CaFGOAG will continue to make legitimate demands for adequate economic support for fishers and fish processors to unjustifiably worsen the living standards in fishing communities in our advocacy towards ending IUU in artisanal fisheries.
“We also call on artisanal fishers to be ready for change as we begin a series of engagements aimed at lasting behavioural changes among fishers to be the surest way to end IUU in artisanal fisheries.
The association appealed to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and the Fisheries Commission to abandon the idea of increasing industrial trawl fleet and stop the destructive activities of industrial fishing vessels; hunting of juvenile and small pelagics and dumping of fish, which remain barriers to behavioural changes.
The statement also appealed to the MoFAD/FC, Civil Society Organizations and NGOs and development partners to consider some economic support such as paid community services for targeted small scale fishers and fish processors to avoid the likelihood of relapse as “we work towards lasting behavioural changes”.
“With such support, we can be assured of the fullest cooperation of artisanal fisheries in the implementation of the 2022-2026 Marine Fisheries Management Plan and the national plan of action to combat IUU fishing,” the statement added.
GNA