Fisheries bill receives support

Fisheries Bill seeking to revise and improve the legislative bases for monitoring, controlling and surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) on Wednesday went through the second reading in Parliament with relative ease.

All members, who contributed to it, said the Bill was over-due since its passage would promote the fishing industry.

Mr Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, NDC-Wenchi West, described the Bill as an excellent one that was initiated by the national Democratic Congress (NDC) and was significantly improved on by the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

"It is an excellent Bill which should receive the support of the House".

Mr Joseph Darko-Mensah, NPP-Okaikoi North, said it would enable Ghanaian fishermen to do business at par with their foreign counterparts.

Mr Ishmael Ashietey, Minister of Fisheries, presenting a memorandum to the Bill said the fishing industry was a large employer of labour and the country's inability to derive maximum benefit from it was because it had not been able to control fishing activities.

The Bill was also to consolidate amendments, the existing statutes regulating fishing in the country and to revise the functions of the Fisheries Commission.

He said: "The country has extensive fishing grounds which if properly monitored and managed should augment national revenue."

Mr Alex Korankye, Chairman on the Committee of Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, presenting a report, on the Bill said the Ghana Standard Board must determine the standard of quality, weight and prices of fish.

He said fishermen should be given representation on the Fisheries Commission considering their population and the amount of fish and fish products they produced for the consumption on the local market.

Mr Korankye said local tuna companies should be assisted to expand their capacity to harvest the excess tuna instead of authorising foreign vessels to do so.

The Bill suggested the establishment of a standard price for Tuna to avoid its trans-shipment on the high seas and to prevent Tuna vessels from landing their catch in other countries, he said.