The Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association (GITA) has called for urgent and substantial investment in maritime security following the recent armed attack on artisanal fishers off the coast of Senya Bereku in the Central Region.

In a press statement, GITA expressed solidarity with more than 70 artisanal fishers who were attacked and robbed at gunpoint while engaged in lawful fishing activities at sea.

It extended sympathy to the affected fisherfolk, their families, and the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC), stressing that no Ghanaian fisherman should have to risk his life simply to earn a living.

GITA, however, described the incident as a troubling signal that Ghana’s territorial waters might not be as secure as required, warning that the threat could extend beyond artisanal operations.

The association questioned how safe industrial fishing vessels were under the prevailing circumstances, noting that if heavily populated canoe fleets could be attacked at gunpoint, industrial trawlers operating offshore might also become deliberate targets.

It explained that industrial vessels often carried high-value catch, fuel, machinery, foreign crew, and other onboard assets, which could make them even more attractive to criminal elements.

GITA revealed that the industrial sector had previously experienced robbery, intimidation, and, in some cases, kidnapping of crew members, incidents which carried significant financial and human costs.

The association noted that with the recent passage and assent of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 1146, which extends the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) to 12 nautical miles, regulatory reforms must be matched with enhanced maritime enforcement and security capabilities.

It stressed that operational boundaries could not be tightened without strengthening security coverage, adding that the lives of fishers and investments in the fisheries sector must be treated as matters of national importance.

GITA advocated strengthened inter-agency collaboration involving the Ghana Navy, Marine Police, Fisheries Enforcement Unit, Ghana Maritime Authority, Fisheries Commission, and National Security to ensure rapid response, surveillance coverage, and deterrence.

The association warned that criminality at sea did not discriminate by vessel category and that an attack on canoe fishers could become an attack on trawl vessels if preventive measures were not urgently enhanced.

While urging state-led protection and increased maritime patrols, GITA also indicated that if adequate security coverage could not be guaranteed within lawful operating zones, a structured and lawful discussion on vessel self-protection mechanisms might need to be initiated within the framework of national security laws

It reiterated that insecurity must not be allowed to become normalised in Ghana’s waters and pledged its readiness to collaborate with stakeholders to restore confidence and protect livelihoods across the fisheries value chain.