Mr. Ebenezer Tettehwayoe, the Assembly member for Ningo-Prampram, has appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and insurance companies to design an insurance policy for the local fishermen to cater for their retirement.
Speaking with the Ghana News Agency, the Assembly member, who is also a fisherman, said there was no retirement package for the local fishery industries, hence their source of income becomes a problem when they are old.
“I am encouraging them to initiate such policies to help cure poverty and improve the lives of the families within the community,” he said.
The fisherman noted that fishing was their source of income; although they may have saved some money, it was not enough for them to pay school fees, hospital bills, or venture into other businesses.
Mr Tettehwayoe said fishmen needed education, especially during the introduction of new policies, saying a thorough discussion must be held to explain the benefits to them that would make them take part.
He said the closure season was an annual policy that the government and the fishermen have agreed on because research had shown that the fish were depleting, so, they closed the sea for the fish to multiply.
He said with the introduction of the closure season, it had brought back their old activities of mending their net, working on their canoes, and working on other activities at the coast.
Mr Lartey Awuley, a fisherman, also told the GNA that the government should collaborate with the chief fishermen at the coast to halt light fishing because it was affecting the local fishing industry.
Mr Awuley said those living along the coastal belt needed the government’s assistance, adding that there should be a reduction in the cost of the fishing nets, and availability of premix fuel frequently for their activities.
GNA
