The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has postponed the ban on fishing scheduled for this month, August 2018 to August 2019.
The decision was taken by government as a result of concerns raised by stakeholders including fisherfolk who have been agitating for weeks.
The anti-Human Trafficking NGO, Challenging Heights, had warned that the ban would cause the majority of affected fishermen to migrate to the Volta Lake as an alternative until the closed season is over, putting pressure on the Volta Lake, and increasing child trafficking prevalence in deprived communities along the coastal communities in the process.
“…Banning fishing in the coastal regions of Ghana will…present fertile grounds for fishermen to be forced to send their children to the Lake Volta for alternative fishing activities in keeping with the history of the trafficking of children to the Lake Volta.
“This opportunity for mass trafficking of children will undoubtedly erode the gains we have made in reducing the incidents of child trafficking in fishing,” cautioned the President of Challenging Heights, James Kofi Annan on July 18.
The Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Association on July 17 also served notice it would go to court over the decision to close the sea for fishing for a month.
But announcing the postponement, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye said the decision is to give fisherfolks enough time to implement the ban next year.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
