According to him, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is escalating in the country’s fishing space, leading to the “destruction of local fish stock and rendering local communities vulnerable and poor”.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Moiv2K8MVuBedaB071GNtFJrAuQwKE4s”]Speaking at the commemoration of the World Fisheries Day at Dixcove in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region, ACP Owusu Berko noted that, the lack of enforcement of existing laws has given rise to the use of forbidden methods by fishermen.

“Many factors are promoting unreported and unregulated fishing in Ghana. There are inadequate laws to regulate fishing activities, but their enforcement is weak, due to poor logistics, inadequate law enforcement personnel, and limited public education”.

He said this at the event organized by Friends of the Nation, Oxfam Ghana, with the support of Care Ghana and European Union.

ACP Berko opined that, there is no time to waste in providing appropriate logistics to officers of the Ghana Marine Police Unit, because “Ghana and countries in the West Central Gulf area, had recently become the target of illegal fishing activities from both foreign and local fishing vessels and groups, destroying local fish stock and rendering local communities vulnerable and poor”.

Since the year 2000, there has been a sharp decline in fish stock in Ghana, which has been blamed on bad fishing practices including the use of light, chemicals, and explosives such as carbide and dynamite, among other unhealthy methods in fishing.

Another practice which has contributed to the decline of fish stock, is the use of pair trawlers within the areas demarcated for artisanal fishing.

ACP Owusu-Berko believes these factors are the reason why “seasonal bumper fish catches, no longer occurs because of the violation of fisheries laws and regulations”.

“I believe there must be the need to reflect continuous capacity building that can help law enforcement officers to effectively handle issues bordering  unreported and unregulated fishing, in order to give effectiveness and edge over the challenges that we face” ACP Owusu-Berko suggested

–

By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Inadequate laws, logistics affecting fisheries sector – Marine police appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The disturbing development was revealed by the University of Cape Coast’s Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, which says not much can be done to save the situation.

According to the research conducted by the department, the decline is due to climate change.

[contextly_sidebar id=”490nfj9Z8lp8F0x569BhstB3GSn97exw”]Climate change, which has led to a rise in the temperature of the sea, has started reducing the stock of fish along the cost as they migrate to cooler areas.

Professor Aggrey Fynn, an associate Professor of the department, contends that the country should brace itself for an even further decline along the coast as they will not be able to survive in the new temperatures of the sea.

“Fishes are also living organisms just like us so as the temperature rises they will begin to feel uncomfortable in their environment, so if they have the opportunity to move they will move to where temperature is okay for them otherwise they will do. Climate change is going to cause a lot of fish species to move out of their natural habitat.”

Challenges facing fisher folk

Anlo beach Community located in the Western Region near Shama, has been drastically affected by the rise in sea level, which has evaded their land and washed away countless homes.

One of the fishermen in the area explained how the rise in sea level has impacted fishing activities in the community.

”….The sea has taken over our land and we are now in a helpless state . Fortunately, the government has given us a piece of land which is uphill so we know we will be safe there. However we will continue to fish here whiles we dwell in our new settlement. The rise in sea level has brought us a lot of problems and has also reduced the number of fishes we catch drastically, sometimes I catch nothing at  all” he lamented.

Madam Aku Amegatse, a seventy-year-old woman who has been processing fish in the community for the past 19 years, also lamented about how the rise in sea level has impacted her life and business.

“Previously, there were long intervals between the sea evading our homes, but it has now become a daily thing , it has affected my business as the shed in which I used to smoke my fish has been washed away, also the fishermen do not catch as many fishes as before.”

Solutions to deal with challenges

Ghana, which consumes over 950,000 metric tons of fish annually, currently imports over 60 percent of its fish, and in 2016, imported 135 million dollars worth of fish because of the reduction in the country’s fish stock.

Professor Fyn, however, believes Ghana should adopt the taste for the few varieties of fish that will remain along the coast in order not to increase the country’s already high fish import.

“There are other species which are available, in fact there are quite a number of other species that are common in our water but we have developed a taste for specific kinds of fish and so we are over-exploiting them.”

He added that government should take another look at the period for the country’s closed season of fishing to increase fish yield.

“We want to revamp our stocks and that is why we have established a closed season. It has to be strategic, and done scientifically so government should consult with researchers in the sector on the best time  to establish the closing season, otherwise climate change may leave us with very few fish in our seas.”

–

By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

The post Ghana’s fish stock at risk – Research appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.