The flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress, (NDC) John Dramani Mahama has indicated that if elected President, his government would engage young people in fishing communities along the coast.
This is to address waste management issues along the shores that negatively impact the fisheries sector and destroy the ocean’s health.
During an interaction with canoe owners and fisherfolks in Tema on Saturday, June 8, the former president said his administration will provide the youth with incentives to work to keep the beaches clean.
“We are going to employ young people who live in fishing communities along the beach and we will pay them to clean the beaches every day so that there will be no plastics on our beaches,” he continued.
He assured the fishing communities that when re-elected as president, his administration would restore the fishing business to its glory.
Mr. Mahama said he would provide vessels to the navy to enable them to patrol the country’s waters to ensure fishing trawlers don’t enter within the exclusive zones.
The Chairman of the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana, Nana Kweigya, implored the government to try other innovative means of addressing the depleting fish stocks in Ghana.
He attributed the move of fish from shallow to deeper waters to climate changes which he explained is compelling artisanal fishers to move far away to fish.
Nana Kweigya said the government needs to consider extending the inshore EEZ for artisanal fishers to cope with competition from industrial fishers as far as access to fisheries resources is concerned.
He expressed the need for government to take the greatest caution in developing commercial aquaculture farms.
He said “Wild fish is used to produce the fish feed which is used to feed aquaculture farms. The question is we are producing fish which is much cheaper and full of quality protein for fishing communities and fisher populations and the whole country.
Why are we sacrificing fish that is meant for human consumption to produce aquaculture feed to feed aquaculture farms? We can’t have a situation where as a nation we do not have adequate data on fishes. If we don’t have adequate data on fishes then how are we able to plan for the fishes? He questioned.
Read also: Baawapa Foundation Promotes Menstrual Health with School Outreach
Source: Anthony Sasu Ayisadu/ATLFMNEWS
