Fisheries sector in crisis - Hen Mpoano

Hen Mpoano, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), says Ghana’s fisheries sector is in crisis as a result of the depletion of fish stock in both marine and freshwater bodies.

The situation, according to the organization, has led to a reduction in capture fisheries.

Kofi Agbogah, Director of Hen Mpoano, who was speaking at a Business Advocacy Forum organized under the auspices of the BUSAC Fund said, “We are on a steep decline so there is need to put in place structures that would ensure that we get fish back into the sea.

“We are in a serious situation because data available shows that fishermen are catching less than 20,000 tonnes a year, and our historical maximum has been 120,000 and 130,000 tonnes a year. If your yield at a particular time is less than 10 percent of the historical maximum that means that the resources are depleting. This also means that we are in crisis so we need to take some steps,” he said.

Mr. Agbogah said people were employing various measures to catch fish, stating “we have gone pass the maximum yield that the marine environment can provide us”.

“As at today, we are harvesting the same fish as we were harvesting 50 or 60 years ago at which time the population was about 4 million.

“So there is a problem. The legal regime allows for anybody to go to sea. Unlike license to drive, it is not the same for fisheries. Everyone is racing to catch the last fish,” he said.

Law Enforcement

Mr. Agbogah called for strict enforcement of the law to save the fisheries sector, stating that “90 percent of the infractions of the laws happen on land before they go to see”.

He called on government enforcement agencies to patrol the beaches to ensure adherence to the laws before the folks go to sea.

“We are in talks with some chief fishermen and stakeholders to form citizen vigilante groups so that they become our eyes and ears over there. When they see any infractions, they can either call or text us.

“We are also working with some communities to sensitize them on the need to use sustainable fishing methods and make them realize that if they destroy the fishery resources, they will destroy their lives,” Mr. Agbogah said.

Friends of the Nation (FoN), a socio-environmental advocacy group, disclosed that they were engaging with BUSAC to ensure that the laws were enforced to ensure sustainability.

The group also advocated a co-management law in the fisheries sector to deepen citizen participation and help revive the sector.

Fisheries Commission Action

Godfrey Baidoo-Tsib, Director of Monitoring Control Surveillance Division, Fisheries Commission, said the Commission is collaborating with the Navy and the marine police and other people to ensure enforcement of the law, stating “We will not just arrest offenders but ensure that they are prosecuted.

He said the Commission had developed a plan to address issues related to over fishing, among others.

“We are looking at reducing the number of fishing days for industrial fleet. Fishermen must set aside another day in addition to Tuesdays for non-fishing. We are looking at closed seasons where nobody will go fishing,” he said.