Artisanal fishers along coastal communities in the Volta Region are strictly complying with the one-month closed season directive effective July 01.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) in collaboration with the Fisheries Commission implementing the directive asked artisanal and inshore fleets to observe one-month closed season while industrial fleets, two months.
The closed season, the second after it was first observed in 2019, aimed to avoid over-exploitation of the fishery resource and to allow the fish stock to replenish to avert the possible collapse of the fishing industry due to depleted stock.
Visits by the Ghana News Agency to some fish landing beaches in the three coastal districts revealed inactivity at the beaches as canoes filled with coconut fronds were decked at the shore without any fishing nets and other gears insight.
As expected, premix fuel dumps at the landing beaches had no attendants during the visits as fishermen stayed away from their fishing expeditions.
Mr Selorm Aflade, a fisherman at Anloga said “in about two weeks, the sea will be opened to fishing” saying, “so for now, we’ll just assume that we’re students who are on vacation and will soon resume school.”
Mr Kofi Amemako also known as ‘Rainbow’, another fisherman said “we’ll have to take the closed season as it is and hope that when we go back to fishing after it is over, we’ll feel the impact.”
Mr Seth Kporti, a net owner said taking a break from work as fishermen while the fish stock replenished was in their interest hence, their compliance.
Mr Seth Yormewu, District Chief Executive for Anloga said he was happy about the level of cooperation from the fisher folks in his district saying the fishermen had come to understand that the policy being implemented by the government was to protect the fishing industry.
He assured that just as the sector Minister had announced some form of support to fishers, the government would deliver on that promise to the people.
