Stop Chinese from ‘light’ fishing - Government urged

The Akufo-Addo-led government must, as a matter of urgency, stop all foreigners, especially Chinese, from fishing with light in the country seas, Alhassan Builsa, a deputy communications officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Tema East constituency, has said.

According to him, at a time local fishermen are barred from engaging in ‘light’ fishing, a decision taken to ensure the country’s fish stock is not depleted, the government has allowed Chinese fishermen to continue with the fishing.

This situation, he said, had created much anxiety among local fishermen and fishmongers along the coastal belt of the country, especially at Tema.

His comments follow assertions by the Minister of Fisheries, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, while speaking on Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM broadcast from the Tema East constituency on Friday April 27, that the law would continue to be applied as a way of ensuring sustainable fish stock in the sea.

Mr Builsa, also commenting on the same programme, said: “You allow foreigners, especially Chinese, to be doing the ‘light’ fishing while you have banned your own people doing it. This is unfair to the local people.
“I am appealing to the police to stop harassing the fishermen so long as the Chinese are doing it.”

“The NDC government introduced some interventions in preventing ‘light’ fishing but the then opposition NPP criticised us. But today they are continuing with the interventions, discriminatorily. They have allowed Chinese to be engaged in the [‘light’] fishing.”