The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has lifted the ban on fishing activities for this year's close season for artisanal and inshore fleets.
The fishing close season, which prevented the fishers from fishing in the country’s waters for a month, was introduced by the ministry and the Fisheries Commission as a measure to replenish the country’s fishery stock which data suggest has been dwindling.
The period also provides fishers the opportunity to mend their equipment and prepare for their expeditions.
Symbolic opening
At a ceremony held at Akplabanya, a coastal community in the Ada West District in the Greater Accra Region last Thursday, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mavis Hawa Koomson, said the symbolic opening of the sea was not just for the resumption of fishing activities, but also to celebrate the unity and shared responsibility that had brought stakeholders in the sector together in their determination to manage the fisheries resources in a sustainable manner.
She stressed the need for all stakeholders to delicately strike a balance between utilising the marine resources and conserving them for future generations, stressing that “sustainable fishing practices are not just beneficial for the environment but also for the economic stability and growth of our fisheries sector."
Mrs Koomson said the government would continuously improve the sector by providing better infrastructure, introducing new technologies, implementing alternative livelihood programmes, training and building the capacity of fishermen and women processors as a way of improving efficiency and profitability in the fishing industry.
"Our goal is to create a thriving, sustainable fishing industry that would benefit all stakeholders," she said.
USAID
The acting Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ghana, Grace Lang, said her organisation partnered the ministry and the Fisheries Commission to observe the end of the 2024 close fishing season because it was their belief that sustainable practices such as close season was important to replenish Ghana's fish stock.
"Fish is an essential source of food, nutrients and livelihoods for millions of Ghanaians. In 2023, the US extended bilateral support of over $140 million to support agriculture and economic growth, health, education, governance, among others,” she said.
Impact
Ms Lang stated that the impact assessment of the 2023 close fishing season showed an increase in the average sizes of round sardinella, flat sardinella and anchovies (Keta school boys) captured before this year’s close season commenced”.
“This suggests that during the close season periods, populations had a chance to recover from the pressures of fishing activity, leading to a rebound in their size,” she said.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ada West, Sampson Tetteh Kpankpa, appealed to the government to construct a landing site in the area, which he said, had the largest number of canoes and the longest coastline in West Africa, to enhance fishing activities in the area.
The President of the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC), Nana Jojo Solomon, said the close fishing season was a good initiative and called on all stakeholders to support management decisions to enhance the lives and livelihoods of fishers.
The National Fish Processors and Traders Association (NAFPTA) also commended the Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity for introducing women to the Village Savings and Loans Scheme which supported the members with credit facilities to aid their business and families during the fishing close season, and expressed the hope that the scheme would grow into a banking facility to support the women in the sector.
The Chief Fisherman for Akplabanya, Raphael Alimo, in a speech read on his behalf appealed to the minister to ensure the availability of premix fuel at the various landing beaches to boost their businesses.
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