The New Patriotic Party\u2019s (NPP) flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo, has promised to ban pair trawling and other illegal fishing methods when voted into power.<\/p>\n
According to him, the problem has persisted because of the lack of political will to end it.<\/p>\n
Nana Addo\u2019s statement follows recent complaints by\u00a0fishermen about the threats to their livelihood as a result of illegal fishing practices.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”9w5XHYxRrZw8b3yUuCaCO4jw1AIzvSZi”]Nana Addo while interacting with fishermen at Elmina in Central Region, assured that an NPP government will not delay in taking\u00a0decisions on such matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you give me your mandate, we are going to have the courage to make the decision of banning pair trawling in our waters. If we don\u2019t, by the time we leave this earth, the marine stocks would have been depleted. We met something; we must protect it for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also said his party will among other initiatives to ensure that the fishing industry is saved from collapse adding that the Fisheries Management Committees established by the Kufuor government to oversee fishing activities in the country would be restored.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to restore the Fisheries Management Committees. They will operate, as originally conceived, under the leadership of the Chief Fishermen, so that the issues of premix fuel and outboard motors will be under the direct control of the fishermen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On\u00a0their part, the fishermen complained about\u00a0the high prices of fishing inputs under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.<\/p>\n
They cited the price of outboard motors, which they say was close to three thousand cedis in 2008; but now sells\u00a0at twelve thousand cedis.<\/p>\n
They also alleged that premix fuel is mostly sold to members of the NDC, leaving other fishermen worse off.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
By: Godwin A. Allotey\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
\nFollow @AlloteyGodwin<\/a>
\n