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We’ll continue to monitor, protect fisheries sector – Minister

The Minister for Fisheries, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye , has reiterated government’s commitment to protect the marine resources of the country.

 She stressed that “ we remain resolute to continue  and sustain  our  monitoring activities  to  protect the fisheries sector  which is  critical to  the economy.”

She made thisdeclaration in an interview with journalists at the Western Naval Command (WNC)at Sekondi yesterday, after she led a team comprising the Navy, Fisheries Commission, Fisheries Enforcement Unit (FEU)   and Marine Police to conduct a special operation along the western frontiers, last night.

She was accompanied by the Head, Fisheries Monitoring Control and Surveillance Department (MCSD), Alex Sabah and Emmanuel Amevor also from MSCD,Tema.

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The exercise followed similar one the Fisheries Ministry conducted at the Eastern Naval Command in Tema, on Saturday.

Although, she revealed that the team met some fishers conducting their activities in accordance with the fisheries regulations,she reiteratedthat “we will continue with the monitoringexercises as we did with the EasternNaval Command to ensure sanity in the fisheries sector and also protect the marine resources.”

Ms Quaye  said that the exercise  at  Ghana’s western frontiers  revealed that canoe fishers were complying with the laws and that there were no infraction with the use of light and also SAIKO fishing  where trawlers  traded smallfishes(discarded fish also known as LOGOS) with canoes, even without nets.

The Minister added that the team encountered a trawlers flying Ivorian and Chinese flags, but, later, the Command at the WNC confirmed that the crew had  permission to visit its drydock.

Ms Quaye   said,   the fisher community  had recongnised that the closed season which began  in earnest,  this year, had been beneficial to stakeholders, which hitherto  threatened fingerlings  population, and  reiterated that  “we will continue each year and together, we will sustain the  fisheries and marine  resources.”

The minster told the journalists  that  fishers,  who received  subsidised premix fuel  to work for the economy of the country,  rather,   fill  their  generator which provide light that they used to catch fingerlings and also destroy the  young population, which was vital to the  integrity  and  growth of the sector.

She continued “As part of international standards  fishing vessel  are to dock at the ports for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to assess  their catch and also excise taxes for the state But, we know that some of them run away to other countries to sell their catch.”

The Minister noted that the energy in  patrols  in Ghana’ s waters against  fisheries  infractions had gone down and explained that the special  operations aimed at re-energising the control and surveillance  unit and also beef-up enforcement to send signals to  offenders that “ we will  not relent on  efforts to prosecute them.”

Ms Quaye argued that, although, some fishers lay claim to their heritage   from the sea, they also need to ensure best practices within the marine business.

Pic Ms Quaye in an interview with journalists after special operations with the WNC.Second,left is Head of MCSD, Alex Sabah.

FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, SEKONDI NAVAL BASE

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