Fisheries Programme Manager of the Environmental Justice Foundation Ghana, Socrates Apetorgbor Segbor has called on authorities to urgently put in place sustainable measures to address issues raised by the European Commission (E.U.) on illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the country.
The European Commission has issued a second yellow card to Ghana on her failure to tackle IUU fishing and warned that the country risk being identified as a non-cooperating country in the fight against IUU fishing.
The E.U. warns that the country stands to lose its access to the European seafood market unless it works more urgently to tackle the illegal fishing within its exclusive economic zone.
Ghana received her first yellow card from the E.U. in 2013 but the warning was lifted in 2015 after government passed new legislation and clear fisheries management plan to tackle IUU fishing.
Speaking to ATL FM NEWS, Mr. Segbor explained the country risk of having a red card if sustainable measures are not put in place to tackle the issue.
He indicated that, “this time around we need not only respond but we need to put in measures that can be sustained over the years and I must say that the stocks are on the verge of collapse these measures provide a good opportunity to sit back on the table and urgently as a nation put in the measures to address them for our own good to save the livelihood of our own people”.
According to him the country may also risks facing high level of negative impactful results should the country fail to implement measures tasked by the E.U. to IUU in the country.
“Aside the card and its implication, this issue they have raised is affecting us individually and you the average consumer so these are the critical questions we should ask ourselves aside the trade function, how is it affecting our fisheries and poor men. If the stocks collapse there is already high level unemployment, who is going to cater for this one hundred and forty thousand fishermen” Mr. Segbor stressed.
Source: Aba Aikins Appah/ATLFMNEWS
