Story by Kingsley Nana Buadu
The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Madam Hawa Koomson, has been petitioned and cautioned by major CSOs and stakeholders in the Fisheries Sector over an attempt to grant two additional license to two industrial trawlers to operate in Ghanaian waters.
According to the ten (10) CSOs, granting additional licence to the trawlers would amount to direct contradiction to the approved draft of the Marine Fisheries Management Plan 2022 – 2026 (MFMP) in which three years moratorium on new entrants to the trawlers sector has been proposed.
The decision for the moratorium is necessary following recognition of the overfishing crisis currently bedeviling the Fisheries. The concerns are that the populations of several vital species in Ghana’s waters are already on the brink of collapse largely due to the negative activities of the trawlers.
The species include small pelagic such as sardinella and chub mackerel which are the lifeblood of Coastal communities across the country, providing vital food and livelihood security to millions nationwide. The worsening ecological and humanitarian crises across Ghana’s Coastline are inextricably linked to the presence of poorly regulated foreign industrial trawlers who have frequently been recorded capturing non-target species and making incursions to fishing zone reserves for canoes and using illegal gears to reduce the selectivity of catch.
According to the CSOs, granting new licence to the trawlers at this time would mean, their tireless effort in contributing to the drafting of the proposed plan to protect the sector from collapsing has been in vain. They have therefore warned that a breach of the proposed moratorium would strike a blow to the trust that is vital in the design and implementation of effective governance.
The concerns of these CSOs follow the circulation of a letter purportedly detailing a request by DUMA FARMS AND FISHERIES LTD that the vessels SHUN FENG 906 and SHUN FENG 907 are granted licence pending approval by the Fisheries Minister and the Ghana Maritime Authority.
The ten CSOs, associations and Unions include working to secure safe, sustainable and equitable Fisheries in Ghana are Environmental Justice Foundation, CERATH Development Organisation, Friends of the Nation, DAA Fisheries Training Centre, National Union of Seamen, Port and Allied workers. Others are KASA initiative Ghana, HEN MPOANO Development Action Association, Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana and CEWEFIA with support from Journalists network, Journalists For Responsible Fisheries and Environment JRFE.
The CSOs have further drawn the attention of the Minister to undertake a thorough due diligence process on issues of ownership, flagging behaviour, and previous license acquisition of these trawlers. They believe the nationality of the beneficial owners may fall outside of Ghana and would be a breach of section 47(1) of the Ghanaian Fisheries Act, 2002.