The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MOFAD) and the food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Tuesday, jointly launched the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA) and the Communication Products for Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) Development.

It seeks to create awareness about the significant role small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers play in food security and nutrition, poverty eradication and sustainable natural resource use thereby increasing global understanding and action to support them.

Speaking at the launch, the sector Minister, Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, said fish played a major component in the Ghanaian diet and the average Ghanaian consumes about 24 kg of fish annually, which was higher than the world’s average of 16kg, making it evident that fish was the principal source of low cost protein in Ghana.

“Despite the risk and labour intensive nature of their work, our gallant fishers work tirelessly to ensure availability of fish all year round hence the high consumption pattern of fish in Ghana, she added.

She said the ministry was pursuing a long-term measures to protect the fisheries resources to ensure recovery of the over exploited fish stocks and accelerate growth in the aquaculture subsector.

Mrs Koomson outlined some of the interventions as annual closed season to ensure recovery of fish stocks, and introduction of aquaculture for food and jobs program to boost farmed fish production.

In addition, the minister noted that, the ministry was instituting an annual national fish festival to celebrate fishers, fish farmers, fish processors and traders to create awareness on value added fish products.

She pledged the ministry’s support to make this year’s IYAFA celebration memorable for all small-scale fisheries and aquaculture actors.

The FAO representative to Ghana, Mr Ndiaga Gueye implored state actors and development partners to renew their interest in small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture in their development assistance for food security and nutrition, poverty eradication and natural resource sustainability.

He called on state actors to support the Voluntary Guidelines which sought to guide dialogue, policy processes and actions of all actors in the value chain to help preserve water bodies from the use of chemicals to catch fish at sea.

He said to achieve the sustainable development goal of small-scale fisheries, FAO had supported the development of the voluntary guidelines and communication materials in some selected Ghanaian languages to facilitate awareness creation and training of stakeholders in the various fishing communities to bring to light the consequences of some behaviour and its negative impact on the aquatic system.

The Acting President for National Fisheries Association of Ghana (NAFAG), Mr Simon Agah, expressed NAFAG’s support, and pledged their active cooperation with fish farmers in their effort to increase their production to supplement the dwindling fish stocks in the marine sector.

He also appreciated the outdooring of communication and knowledge materials produced on the voluntary guidelines for small-scale fisheries for actors along the SSF value chain.

“We, therefore, assure those responsible for the dissemination of information in document of the willingness, readiness and collaboration of NAFAG in that direction,” MrAgah added.