Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, says the Ministry has achieved 97 per cent level of compliance and cooperation from fishermen in this year’s closed fishing season.
She said fishermen had gradually come to terms with the essence of the season and were complying to make the initiative successful.
Madam Hawa Koomson made the remarks when she addressed and presented items to fisherfolk at Ga Mashie in Accra.
The items presented to the fisher folk, who numbered over a hundred, were 200 bags of perfumed rice, 220 head pans, 73 wire mesh, and 70 cartons of cooking oil.
The Minister said the fisherfolk were beginning to see the gains of the season in their catches in recent times as compared to the period prior to the introduction of the initiative.
She stressed that, though they had achieved significant success, there were still a handful of fishermen who still disobeyed the ban.
She said the Ministry would continue to sensitise and engage them even after the season on the right fishing practices they needed to adopt in the trade.
Madam Koomson said so far, they had reached out and provided items to fisherfolk in the Central, Volta and Western Regions and hoped to close in on Greater Accra Region by the close of the week.
Nii Ayigbui II, Chief Fisherman at Ga Mashie, said they supported the season, but wished it was in May, claiming that the fishes reproduced in May and not in July and August as projected by the Ministry.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development announced this year’s closed season for fishing from July 1, 2023 to August 31, 2023.
While canoe and inshore fishers observe the season from July 1, 2023 to July 31, 2023, industrial trawlers will observe it from July 1 , 2023 to August 31, 2023.