Fisherfolks at Chorkor in the Ablekuma South Constituency have called for the annual closed fishing season to be fixed for June instead of July.
They explained that fixing the closed season in June would help them to take advantage of the passage of fishes in July along the coast to shore up their revenue.
According to them, the sea state in June was not favourable for fishing because of storms and severe weather, insisting that the period between June 1 and June 30, should be leveraged for closed season.
Nii Odametey, Wekunukpa and Assistant Chief Fisherman, Chorkor, was reacting to the promise by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Mahama, to cancel the closed fishing season for artisanal fisherfolks.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, he said fisherfolks were not happy about the lack of commitment of politicians to maintain the policy on fisheries management.
Closed seasons in fisheries management allow for fish reproduction and growth before harvest and may be declared when spawning is known to occur.
The approach aims to help restore fish stocks and maximize their spawning capacity.
Nii Odametey decried how politicians were jeopardizing the livelihoods of fisherfolks.
“We’re tired of politicians. When a party is in opposition, it criticizes the ruling party and promises to reform things, but it never happens,” he added, emphasizing that all fishermen sought was higher harvests and wealth.
“We did not get the expected results after this year’s closed season after being at home for two months.
“If the former President would fulfill his promises, then we welcome it,” he said.
Nii Odametey argued for the closed season to begin between June 1 and June 30 when there were storms and heavy weather at sea.
The former president was reported to have told fisherfolks, party delegates and supporters in Cape Coast and Tema that he would abolish the closed fishing season for artisanal fishers when voted into power in the 2024 polls.
He said that he would only execute the policy intervention for industrial fishing trawlers because their increasing numbers and unlawful fishing methods in Ghana’s territorial waters have led to the depletion of marine life.
“Artisanal fishers would be allowed to operate during the closed season to support their livelihoods. The canoe fishers are not the ones destroying the sea but the heavy industrial trawlers who fish beyond their nautical miles amidst all forms of illegal fishing practices.
“When the NDC takes over the reins of Government, the law on closed season will not affect small-scale fishermen who use canoes. It is the big trawlers that will not be allowed to fish during the closed season,” Mr. Mahama was reported as saying.
According to Madam Felicia Wellington, a fishmonger and a fisherman’s wife, the closed season began when the fish were plentiful, and by the time it was reopened, they had gone.
She claimed that because some of the officials responsible for the sea closure did not own boats and canoes, they were uninformed of the effects of the closed season on fishing communities.
Mr Razak Neequaye, a fisher for 28 years, stated that while he welcomed the closed season, its relevance was dependent on the individual fisherman.
“You can see the boats are spoiled, but some of the fishermen continue to fish with them. So the closure period allows them to repair the boats,” he said.
Mr. Neequaye complained about the “wicked” acts of Chinese trawlers on the water, who were calculating in their fishing, grabbing even the smallest fish intended for artisanal fishers.
“We move by faith to get bountiful harvest, but the Chinese do not move in vain, they use all the illegal means to catch the fishes. Now the smallest fishers such as herrings can now be found in the cold storage,” he noted.
Madam Mary Lamptey, a fried fish seller, said when the sea was “closed,” fish dealers resorted to buying from cold stores at prohibitive costs, which forced consumers to pay exorbitant rates as well.
GNA
