4,562 canoes in Western Region register under Canoe Identification Card programme

About 4,562 canoes in the Western Region have been registered under the Canoe Identification Card (CIC) programme.

According to the Fisheries Commission, 3,632 out of the 4,562 canoes had been issued with cards.

It explained that the rest could not be issued with their cards due to some outstanding issues, including no data or names of canoe, absence of gear types and measurement of canoes at the time of the registration.

The CIC is valid for six years, but, would be due for renewal every three years.

The front side of the canoe ID shows the canoe name, canoe length, fishing village, gear type, motorised or non-motorised, issue date and expiry date, whilst the reverse section provides detailed description, including photos of fishing gears such as hook and line, drift gill net, set net, beach seine and Ali Poli Watsa (purse net).

An officer at the Marine Fisheries Management Division (MFMD), Rebecca Sackey-Mensah, announced this on Tuesday, at the Fisher-to-Fisher Dialogue organised by the Western Region branch of the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC) for fisher folks from the Shama and Sekondi- Takoradi areas, to discuss the CIC and moratorium issues.

“The card shows true canoe owners. We can’t print the cards for canoes without certain vital information but, we will continue to liaise with the various chief fishermen for us to do the corrections before January 1, 2021.

“This is the beginning, but, we are committed to the process. We are still printing the cards and by end of March they will be ready,” she said.

Madam Sackey-Mensah said the rules on canoes were still in force and indicated that the CIC would demand during naval patrols and allocation of premix fuel.

She recalled that in 2014, the Commission began issuing canoe identification cards showing that a canoe was registered, embossed canoes and bearing a unique Quick Response (QR) code, readable with a mobile app for purpose of the regulation, enforcement and the management of marine resources.

Ms Sackey-Mensah revealed that in 2019, the FC reported that the number of canoes were growing while the fishing stock was reducing and therefore, decided to launch the CIC to whip up measures in controlling the numbers of canoes at sea.

“You can’t operate an unregistered canoe; indeed, a canoe must be sea-worthy, having an identity card, and, by January 1, 2021, we are saying no card, no sea for your canoes,” she stressed.