Fishers along the coast of Sekondi and New Takoradi in the Western Region have been urged to comply with the acceptable fishing methods and other related fisheries laws as they prepared to resume fishing activities.
Madam Matilda Ajakameh, Deputy Western Regional Director of the Fisheries Commission, who made the call, said it was necessary for them to abide by the laid down rules and regulations governing the fisheries sector as it would streamline their activities for improved benefits.
She was speaking at a workshop organised by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), at Sekondi, to remind them about the available fisheries regulations to help guide their activities as the fishing season resumes.
She said they were to ensure they fished within acceptable range; thus, they must not go nearer to oil fields, used nets and other gears that were recognized by the law and practiced fishing methods that were also spelt out in the law.
Madam Ajakameh said it was an offence for the fishermen to exploit certain resources that the law gave special protection to, citing marine mammals, gravid and juvenile fish species as examples.
She again noted that the law prohibited them from polluting marine waters, saying the act could affect the health of fishes and other aquatic habitats.
'There are undeniable facts that seasonal closures and other control measures have their related discomforts and some hardships to direct dependents on fishing, but it is necessary to help develop the sector for mutual benefit,' she indicated.
Commander Michael Duvor, the Command Operations Officer (COO) at the Western Naval Command, encouraged the fishermen to report piracy or armed robbery, drug trafficking and other illegal activities on the marine waters to the appropriate authorities for immediate action.
He asked them to comply with all regulations when they went for fishing, while urging them to collaborate with the security agencies like the Ghana Navy and Marine Police and other institutions responsible for the protection of the country's marine waters, to help protect the country from external aggressions.
He said security personnel were sometimes attacked by residents in some fishing communities when performing their law enforcement duties along the shores of such communities and appealed to participants to assist in stopping such attacks.
Nana Akol Kwesi, a chief fisherman, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency on the side-lines, expressed gratitude to the organizers of the workshop and said he would impart the knowledge he had acquired to other fishermen in his community to ensure they practiced the acceptable fishing methods.
Source: Ghana News Agency