Fisheries Ministry Inaugurates 'Closed Season' Committee

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministry has inaugurated a 'Closed Season' Committee that will draw up a programme for the effective implementation of the August 2018 Closed Season.

The Closed Season, which has the objective of reducing excessive pressure on and the over exploitation of fish stocks in Ghana's marine waters, forms part of the strategies outlined in the Fisheries Management Plan of Ghana (Marine Sector, 2015-2019) to sustainably manage Ghana's marine fisheries resources.

The Ministry and the Fisheries Commission had, already, this year, implemented a two-month Closed Season which commenced in January and was lifted in March 2018.

It is, therefore, at the back of the positive results emanating from this close season, such as the marginal increase in the catches from the artisanal sector after the 2016 and 2017 closed seasons and improvement in catches for trawlers after the 2017 closed season, that it has become necessary to intensify and extend the programme to cover all sectors of the fishing industry, including the artisanal sector.

The 9-member Committee, with a tenure from 29th May to 30th September, has been tasked to review the 2016, 2017 and January-March 2018 Closed Season Report, draw up a programme for the effective implementation of the August 2018 Closed Season, including the education and preparation of stakeholders towards the implementation and any other activity that concerns the Closed Season.

Members of the Committee are Mr Daniel Emmson Kattah, Chief Economic Planning Officer & Director Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division Rea (PPMED), Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development ( MOFAD), Mr Godfrey Baidoo-Tsibu, Deputy Director, Monitoring, Control & Surveillance Division, Fisheries Commission, Mr Paul Bannerman, Deputy Director, Fisheries Scientific Survey Division, Fisheries Commission, Ms Matilda Quist, Deputy Director, Marine Fisheries Management Division, Fisheries Commission and Mr Kofi Agbogah, Director, Hen Mpoano.

The rest are Nii Djamroja, Osu Chief Fisherman, Mr Joe Kramo, President, Ghana National Inshore Fisheries Association, Tema, Mr E. K. Ofori Ani, Board Secretary, Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association and Madam Regina Solomon, President, National Fish Processors and Traders Association.

In a speech read on her behalf, the Sector Minister, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, urged the committee to ensure that the objective for instituting the Closed Season was achieved.

Mr Godfrey Baidoo-Tsibu, on behalf of the Committee, expressed gratitude to the Minister for the confidence reposed in them to perform the important task of instituting measures to improve Ghana's declining fish stock.

Mr Tsibu said he expected the committee to come up with guidelines to guide the Ministry and called for the necessary support to enable the Committee perform its task.

Source: ISD (Eva Frempon-Ntiamoah)

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