Nene Raymond Abayateye II, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman for the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council, has called on all fishermen to comply with the rules and regulations governing the sea closure to avoid any sanctions.
Nene Abayateye, who is also the Chief Fisherman for Anyamam in the Ada West District, emphasised that failure to comply with the closed fishing season could lead to two years of imprisonment and the seizure of fishing tools.
His appeal follows the announcement of the closure of the sea to all fishing activities for artisanal and industrial trawlers in Ghana’s territorial waters.
Termed the closed fishing season, the temporary ban is to allow key fish species, such as sardinella, mackerel, and anchovies, popularly known as the poor man’s fish, to spawn and replenish themselves in the country’s marine waters.
Nene Abayateye told the Ghana News Agency that artisanal fishermen would observe the ban for a month starting Monday, July 1, 2024, while industrial trawlers would observe the ban for two months.
“We have already experienced rough seas for the past three months before the closure of the sea, and our stay at home this time is going to be a bit challenging, but all the same, this has been part of us,” he stated.
He said fishermen would have loved for the government to shift the closure to June, as observing in July creates a lot of challenges for the fishermen and their families.
He explained that June is already noted for rough seas where fishermen hardly go to sea, so shifting the closure to that time would have been more beneficial.
GNA
LS/LKA /AD
3 July 2024
