The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has defended its decision to ban fishing on the country’s waters in August and September.
The move, according to the ministry, is to save some species of fishes such as mackerel, anchovies, and others that are going into extinction in the country’s waters due to poor fishing practices.
The policy, the ministry explains will also generally allow fishes in general to breed thereby increasing their stock to and sustain corresponding bumper harvest for the fishermen.
Scientific Research according to the ministry has proven that the August-September period is the best time that the fishes breed in larger quantities and disturbing the breeding cycle will mean depleting fish stock as even fingerlings get trapped by fishermen during what they call their bumper season which is in August and September.
Fishes caught within this period according to the ministry mostly reveal huge quantities of eggs in them thereby cutting short the ability of the fishes to multiply.
Speaking to Starr News Central regional correspondent Kwaku Baah-Acheamfour on the sidelines of the Bakatue festival in Cape Coast where the ministry took advantage to address the concerns of the aggrieved fishermen in the area, the acting regional officer of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Edem Agyaku, appealed to the fishermen to accept the decision of government as the fisher folks will be the ultimate beneficiaries when the ban is lifted.
Healthy aqua life, he explained will mean the fishermen having regular and bumper harvest on the waters thereby improving their returns.
He also admonished them to stop other unhealthy fishing practices like the use of unapproved nets among others which impair the life of fishes especially fingerlings.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Kwaku Baah-Acheamfuor
