Speaking at a meeting on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, she said her outfit through stakeholder consultations and cabinet approval, has developed a fisheries management plan for the marine sector for 2015/2019.

[contextly_sidebar id=”amJ1uUY2eGDiuIToEf8FKDEmpwNyTB9o”]“The Fisheries Enforcement Unit (FEU) undertakes electronic monitoring of all Ghanaian land industrial vessels as well as land and sea patrols leading to arrest and prosecution of fisheries offenders. Currently, the fisheries monitoring centre is a collaboration with Ghana Maritime Authority and the ECOWAS monitoring for environment and security in Africa,” she said.

The move, she said is to check illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the country which contributes to environmental pollution and also endangers fish species.

The Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (SFMP)  donated four vehicles valued at about $140,000 to the Fisheries Enforcement Unit (FEU) under the Fisheries Commission, to help in the enforcement and compliance of the laws.

This is to improve deterrence of illegal fishing in order to rebuild marine fish stock as a means to enhance food security

The government received an amount of 53.8 million dollars in 2015 to improve and ensure the sustainable management of the country’s fish and aquatic resources.

The project is meant to strengthen the country’s capacity to sustainably manage the fisheries sector, reduce illegal fishing, and increase the value and profitability generated by fish and aquatic resource exploitation.

Research vessel arrives; Nana Addo calls for end to illegal fishing

President Nana Akufo-Addo in September 2015 bemoaned the dwindling fish stock in the country’s water bodies, calling for a halt in all forms of illegal fishing activities.

He said illegal methods of fishing, as well as the over-exploitation of Ghana’s marine resources, cannot continue, as they threaten the very essence of the country’s existence.

President Akufo-Addo made this known at the welcoming ceremony of the new Fridtjof Nansen Fisheries Research Vessel to Ghana, held at the Tema Harbour. Ghana, which consumes over 950,000 metric tons of fish annually, currently imports over 60 percent of its fish.

In 2016, the country imported $135 million worth of fish because of a reduction of fishes in the sea and other water bodies. It is in light of this that the the Ghana government is receiving the research vessel from Norway to help address the situation.

The Research Vessel is in Ghana to assess the marine stock levels in the country’s waters. The vessel’s programme has been unique in training scientists and equipping them with the necessary tools to assess stocks of fishes in our waters.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This is an intervention following a nationwide premix diversion scandal that hit the secretariat, causing the state to lose revenue.

The six member committee which includes Kudjoh Atta, Rev Johnson Avulete, Elikem Sewortor, George Dzoble, Albertos Adenu and  chaired by the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, is expected to among other things liaise between the landing beach committees and the national premix fuel Secretariat, estimate premix fuel consumption for the landing beach committees to help in placing appropriate orders for the landing beaches, monitor and reconcile premix fuel dispatch from Tema oil refinery to ensure their safe delivery at the designated landing beaches, as well as ensure landing beach committees comply with sales, safety measures of the national premix fuel committee regulations, and NPA’s advice.

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister, Mrs. Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, inaugurating the Committee in the Volta Regional Capital, Ho on Monday, was optimistic the mandate of the Committee would help save the nation’s purse and enhance accountability.

“The nation is spending so much money, huge sums of money to subsidize premix fuel, the taxpayer pays his tax and that money is used to subsidize premix fuel heavily for the fishermen, so we can improve upon our fisheries. Issues about the premix fuel, and the problems that we are facing as a nation with regards to premix fuel, will become a thing of the past” she said.

The Volta Region has about 1,232 landing beaches with over 45,000 fishermen; about 20,000 inland fishermen, whiles the rest are into marine fishing.

The event saw various Districts and Municipal Chief Executives including other key stakeholders in the fishery industry attending.

The Committee Chairman, who doubles as the Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, assured the gathering that the team would ensure effective delivery of their mandate to enhance the lives of fisher folks.

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By: King Nobert Akpabli/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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She, however, charged fisherfolk to protect the ocean and other water bodies to ensure they reap better rewards from their trade.

[contextly_sidebar id=”KSpSXGZgudco9dIerOtz9fsl51Ndfx1n”]Fish is the primary source of protein and livelihood for most Ghanaians, particularly those residing along the coast.

However, poor management, overexploitation, environment degradation and illegal fishing has threatened the productivity and sustainability of the country’s fisheries resources.

The Minister also stated that the government has identified fish as a key commodity in the Agriculture sector and had taken steps to support women in the sector by providing them with improved fish-smoking ovens.

She also noted that it was only possible to reap benefits from our waterbodies when efforts are made to ensure that they remain clean.

“It is important for our waterbodies to be safe. Ghanaians must desist from desecrating the sea with plastic waste otherwise we will wake up one day to the painful realization that the perceived, bottomless monumental treasure is gone for good,” Mrs Afoley Quaye warned.

She also praised the Omanhene of Elmina Traditionl Area, Nana Kodwo Kondua II  for taking up the fight against illegal fishing methods and his efforts to ensure that the beaches are kept clean.

The Minister then announced the launch of the Aquaculture for Food and Jobs program in 2018.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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At these sessions, representatives of oil and gas companies as well as government institutions and agencies, operating in the six coastal districts, are called up to respond to issues of concern around economic empowerment and livelihoods, water, sanitation, environment, education, health and decision making that affects communities in which they operate.

Whilst government agencies and institutions are called up to respond to questions that border on environmental sustainability, unemployment, water-related issues, access to healthcare and education, oil companies are also called up to respond to questions on livelihood empowerment and sustainability.

At the sixth edition, some non-governmental organizations and CSOs, such as the Africa Center for Energy Policy ACEP, Friends of the Nation FON, as well as some private sector players like the Association of Ghana Industries AGI, were called up to present issues as well as opportunities they have identified in the petroleum industry and in the six coastal districts.

“Land use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925), needs to be fully implemented. This will help generally to provide for spatial aspects of socio-economic development, and for related matters in the communities” Solomon Kusi Ampofo, Natural Resource governance coordinator at Friends of the Nation noted.

The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, GNPC, also told the gathering of their resolve to establish the National Shared Value Plan which will be funded by GNPC’s upstream partners.

“We are committed to ensuring that the hydrocarbons discovery in the country will benefit every Ghanaian, and that through our own initiatives and programs, we want to arrive at a situation where we can affect the life of the people within the communities in our operational areas. That’s what the National Shared Value Plan is about” Dr. Patrick Ofori, Sustainability Manager of GNPC told Citi News.

The Paramount Chief of the Lower Dixcove Traditional Area, Nana Kwesi Agyeman IX, who is also the council chair for WRCF, reiterated the importance of such meetings, noting that dialogue will help the companies to have a social contract and acceptability within the communities.

The Vice-chair of WRCF, Wisdom Quaicoe, who is also the Executive Director for the United Civil Society for National Development UCSOND, was not enthused about the seeming difficulty that serves as impediment between persons with disabilities from accessing offices of some of the oil companies.

He suggested to representatives of the companies to work to make their offices disability friendly.

About WRCF

The Western Region Coastal Foundation is a locally owned and managed independent foundation with a legal charter as an NGO in Ghana. Its governance structure is made up of representatives from communities, local government and companies.

As the oil, gas, power (OGP) and other extractive industries increase activity in the Western Region, they are affecting the daily lives of residents of the region’s six coastal districts. This creates risks and operational challenges – increasing expectations by government, traditional authorities and others,as it also offers opportunities.

Managing these risks and capitalizing on these opportunities require knowledge, expertise and collective commitment to local economic and social development over the long-term.

Through the innovative community dialogue platform, WRCF is actively identifying and designing ways to add value to new or existing initiatives in the private sector development, to create economic growth in the region.

WRCF seeks to promote development in communities impacted by extractive industries through influencing Corporate Social Investment (CSI) decisions, coordinating and supporting the delivery of economic and social initiatives prioritized by stakeholders.

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This follows an admission by the Fisheries Minister, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye that the country imports 60 percent of fish consumed in the country.

[contextly_sidebar id=”BAhpADA9pxiC4fhLq41m6us25AKdP4YS”]Ghana, which consumes over 950,000 metric tons of fish annually, imported $135 million worth of fish in 2016 because of the steady depletion of Ghana’s fish stock.

The Fisheries Alliance has also noted that fish consumption in Ghana per capita is about double the world average. Ghanaians consume between 25 and 27 kg per capita whilst the world average is around 11 to 13 kg per capita.

Speaking to Citi News, Kwasi Koranteng said a survey that is being conducted by the FAO along the country’s shoreline may come up with some findings to help the Fisheries Ministry resolve the fish deficit.

“A survey of this nature helps us to know the status of the ratio and then that will enable the [Fisheries] ministry to work out how much of this resource can be taken so that we don’t jeopardise the ability of the stock to regenerate itself,” he explained.

Mr. Koranteng suggested further that the deficit identified after the survey could be met through fish imports.

“So if you want to be secure from the fish aspect of it then you need to be able to bridge this gap between supply and what you need. The results of this survey would enable the government to be able to plan better to see what is available and to plan better for the country to meet its fisheries requirements.”

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By: Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Ghana, which consumes over 950,000 metric tons of fish annually, imported $135 million worth of fish in 2016 because of the reduction in the country’s fish stock.

[contextly_sidebar id=”rmJJoCyP3vul8S8LzLQUmzmIdbB9VJSa”]There are fears Ghana may soon lose its fishing stock if nothing is done to overturn issues confronting the country’s fishing sector.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Armafio attributed the state of affairs to failings in the post-harvest chain which contributes to Ghana’s 25 million population having a high fish consumption per capita.

“The fish we consume in Ghana per capita is way in excess of the world average. We consume between 25 and 27 kg per capita. The world average is around 11 to 13 kg per capita. So we are consuming about twice the world average consumption and only a few people consume that fish.”

But this lop-sided consumption can be corrected by investments into the post harvest sector of the fishing industry.

“We first need to look at the lopsided consumption in the fisheries sector and then develop a proper post-harvest sector that is able to attract investors into the country  to now start the process of canning fish and if that happens, our consumption will go down and our earnings from the fisheries sector will grow.”

“ You can’t say that the 400,000 metric tonnes we are producing is not enough. It is the way we consume fish that is the problem because we have not developed the processes of storing fish,” Mr. Armafio added.

Impact of galamsey

Illegal mining activities have also contributed to this fish deficit as the inland contribution to fisheries “has completely been cut out.”

“People who were living in the North were depending on small streams and water bodies so they didn’t have to rely on imported fish. [But they] no longer have those fishes, so they now have to rely on imported fish because their fish and water bodies have all been destroyed by illegal mining activities.”

Aside from this, Ghana is also missing out on fish production from lagoons and mangrove swamps in Accra because “they have become industrial sinks.”

“Go to Accra, all the municipal drains are channeled into one water body or another and so the quality of water that we require in the lagoons to produce the brackish fish; we are losing them.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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These withdrawals run contrary to provisions of the legal documents that established it sometime in 2002, according to the Alliance.

[contextly_sidebar id=”E6bXigRWtma7WX1zLw22VmQ12XExjTwi”]Section 41 of the Act states that monies issued out of the fund shall be by cheque signed by two persons; the chairperson of the Fisheries Commission, the director and one other member of the Commission. This stipulates that two of these persons must sign before monies are taken out of the account by cheque.

However, Co-convener of Fisheries Alliance, Richster Nii Amarfio in a Citi News interview alleged that “for a long time there has not been a commission. Between 2002 and 2009 there was no commission. And intermittently too, there has not been a commission. Even this year [2017] there is no commission. The Alliance is therefore concerned about how monies are taken from the fund because the required signatories to the fund do not exist but monies from the fund are been disbursed”.

The fund receives monies from loans from international organizations such as the World Bank, vessel license fees, and charges against individuals and companies involved in illegal fishing among others. Monies from the fund are also taken out for other purposes.

“But the transparency issue here is; if the people to go into the fund do not exist, how do the monies leave out of the fund? Which unauthorized persons are going into the fund? The World Bank facility for the West African Regional Fisheries Program that went into the fund is been used, so who signed for disbursement, when the authorized persons are non-existent?”

The Alliance also wants the Fisheries Commission to be decoupled from the Ministry of Food and Aquaculture “so that the commission could go fully as a public sector and operates as a commission. It is supposed to be a technical wing of the ministry. But in situations where the policy wing dictates to the technical wing such that it suppresses recommendations aimed at helping recover the dwindling fortunes of fishing in the country, the decoupling is urgently needed if we want to see the sector recover from its dwindling fortunes, ” Mr. Nii Amarfio advised.

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Dubbed “far ban bo” (protecting fisherfolks’ livelihoods), the programme is being implemented by a consortium of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) including Care International, Friends of the Nation (FON) and Oxfam in collaboration with the Fisheries Commission, Fishers Association and Fisheries Alliance.

It started in April this year and would run till 2021.

The aim is to build the capacity of smallholder fishers to improve their livelihoods and to address the challenges of over-fishing and unregulated fishing practices such as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and law compliance.

It also seeks to empower the law enforcement agencies to sensitise the sector.

It would also focus on tenure rights security for landing sites as well as implement grievances and disputes resolution mechanisms among industrial, inshore and artisan or smallholder fishers.

Launching the programme in Cape Coast, on Thursday, Mr Kwadwo Kyei Nyamoah, Programmes Manager of FON, said the project would strengthen the capacity of fishery associations to engage in efficient legal fishing methods to improve their incomes.

He said the “far ban bo” programme would also be implemented simultaneously in 30 other districts in the Central, Western, Greater Accra and Volta regions.

He said FON was determined to work with all stakeholders especially marine and inland fisheries to uplift the sector.

He said through the programme, smallholder women in the fisheries value chain sector in the beneficiary districts would get financial assistance to enable them expand their businesses, improve food security and quality nutrition for their families.

Mr Yamoah indicated that the fishing sector contributed about 4.5 per cent of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Produce (GDP) and supported the livelihood of about 10 per cent of Ghana’s population and therefore should not be neglected.

Mr Thomas Yaw Adjei Baffour, Deputy Central Regional Minister advised fishermen to adhere to right fishing practices and eschew all acts that would affect the progress of the sector.

He expressed the commitment of government to invest enormous resources in the fishing sector to enable it contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic transformation agenda.

Mr Baffour urged the security agencies to be firm and deal ruthlessly with persons who flouted the fisheries law without fear or favour.

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Source: GNA

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The project, which is funded by the European Union will be completed in 2021.

When completed in 2021, it is expected to address key issues affecting the fisheries sector such as over-fishing, unsustainable fishing practices, unreported and unregulated fishing, low compliance of fisheries sector laws and weak capacity for law enforcement.

At the launch of the project, Project Coordinator at Care Ghana, Zakaria Yakubu, explained that “Far Ban Bo” will cover 30 districts in the Western, Central, Greater Accra and Volta Regions.

The project implementers will work closely with key fisheries stakeholders in the marine and inland fisheries sectors to ensure that the capacity of fishery associations are strengthened, to engage in equitable fisheries governance to safeguard the livelihood of vulnerable smallholder fishers” in the country.

He added that “the overall objective of “Far Ban Bo” is to contribute to sustainable fisheries resources management to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihood of smallholder fishers and other users of fisheries resources”.

Paramount Chief of Lower Axim, Nana Kwesi Agyemang IX, in his opening remarks, bemoaned the dwindling fortunes of the fisheries sector, and the seeming neglect by the powers that could help regulate the sector.

He commended the consortium for the initiative, and implored fishermen to engage in practices that will sustain their livelihood and avoid bad fishing practices that threaten their lives.

Western Regional Director of the Fisheries Commission, Alex Sarbah, reiterated the government’s resolve to see a vibrant fishery sector by introducing a sustainable fisheries management framework.

He cited the Marine Fisheries Management Plan that has initiatives to ensure the sector resuscitates for sustainable fishing in the country, as one move by the state to protect the fisheries resources.

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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1. He only texts you after 1 a.m. It’s a scientific fact that all booty calls happen after 1 a.m. All those cars you see driving around after 12:59? People out in the streets past 1? They’re all on their way to a booty call.

Source: Cosmopolitan.com

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