The Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG) has called on fishermen and canoe owners to regularly maintain their outboard motors to ensure their safety at sea.

Nana Kweigyah, the President of CaFGOAG who made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency indicated that since the resumption of fishing activities on August 1, 2023, over 30 cases of faulty outboard motors at sea have been recorded in the four coastal regions.

He said the incidents were recorded in the Volta Region, Greater Accra Region, Central Region, and Western Regions.

He said some crew had to stay at sea for days to repair their faulty outboard motors or solicit assistance from other canoes to pull them to the shore, a situation he said raised lots of concern.

He noted that apart from such incidents disrupting normal fishing activities, as the crew were unable to work during such times, it also endangered the lives of the crew and the safety of other gear, especially in times of bad weather.

He explained that poor maintenance and excessive pressure on the outboard motor to go farther deep to fish due to the dwindling stock could be the cause of such breakdowns at sea.

He suggested that the outboard motor should be serviced at least every six months to ensure its functioning, adding that it was ideal that whenever a small fault was detected, it would be worked on even if it was still working.

Source: Ghana News Agency