Oyster Harvest Closed Season Takes Effect

By Salifu Abdul-Rahaman

The oyster harvest closed season was on Tuesday officially declared at the Tsokomey landing site in the Ga South Municipality in the Greater Accra Region at a brief ceremony attended by the traditional authorities and officials from the Fisheries Commission and the assembly

The traditional authorities led by Nii Fartse Ako, the OditseWe of Bukum, performed the customary rites to close the season.

Consequently, oyster harvesters will stay away from their activities for five months, spanning from November 15, 2018 to April 10 2019, to allow the regeneration of the sea food.

The closed season forms part of the Densu Delta Oyster Fishery Community Co- Management Plan which seeks to improve food security and other benefits for women oyster harvesters and other communities at the estuary who depend on the fishery resources for their livelihood.

The symbolic closed season was organised by Development Action Association, a non-governmental organisation in agriculture productions, in collaboration with the Densu Oyster Pickers Association.

Oyster harvesting is a major livelihood of about 200 people in Densu Delta communities of Tsokomey, Bortianor and Tetegu.

The first closed season was observed last year, resulting in boost in the oyster population and also led to increased oyster size and density.

The closed season at the Densu Delta is being observed with funding from the USADI under the Sustainable Fisheries Management Project(SFMP), and it aims at consolidating positive opinion toward the implementation of the upcoming National Marine closed season for all fleets.

The Sustainable Oyster Fishery Management Plan builds on the best practices and lessons learnt from a 10-day Regional Study on Women's Empowerment and Post Harvest Improvement in the Gambia and Senegal in 2016 involving members of five women-led Civil Society Organisation and the Fisheries Commission and supported by the SFMP.

Oysters are valuable food human health and contain about 80 percent water and 17.2 percent protein, as well as many vitamins and minerals that satisfy human nutrition needs, according to the South Australian Oyster Research Council.

Read Full Story