Under the auspices of the joint Fisheries Committee for West and Central (FCWC) gulf, joint fishing patrol operations would ensure among others compliance with the closed season.

This is an attempt to ultimately implement a sub regional closed season as part of measures to replenish dwindling fishery stock.

This year's closed season in Ghana started on Saturday July 1 after the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hawa Koomson symbolically locked up the sea at Elmina.

Togo and Benin are expected to participate in the closed season in 2024.

She said joint implementation of the closed season by Côte d'Ivoire was an indication that her working visit to appeal to the fishery managers had started yielding results.

She appealed to security agencies to work to ensure enforcement of compliance.

She said the livelihood of the three million people and the over 180 fishing communities were being threatened by the continuous dwindling fishery stock.

Mrs Koomson noted that activities of over fishing and over exploitation using illegal unreported and unregulated fishing practices continue to worsen the state saying the closed season is to ensure recovery and rebuilding to prevent collapse of the stocks.

She said the result of a biological survey undertaken in 2022 indicated the fish caught were much more and bigger than in previous years.

Mrs Koomson said the continuous closure of the sea, seven years for the industrial and four years for the artisanal and inshore fleet had shown significant positive impact towards stocks recovery.

She noted for instance that said canoe landings were higher after the closure period and fishes bigger saying it was an indication that the closed season should be implemented for many years to achieve the needed impact.

Recovery measures 

The closed season is part of measures to ensure recovery and rebuilding of the critically low fishery stocks innaccordance with Section 84 of the Fisheries Act 2000, Act 624.
 
Mrs Koomson thanked stakeholders including fishermen and processors, scientific working bodies, both national and international, civil society organization and security agencies for the support in ensuring successful closed seasons.

The artisanal canoes would be off the sea for one month from July 1 to July 31 while industrial trawlers would be off from July 1 to August 31.

Mrs Koomson said as a way of reducing the economic hardships in the fishing communities, the ministry in collaboration with the Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity had launched an alternative livelihood support to train 1,350 in employable skills including masonry, dressmaking, electronics among other.

The training she said would be scaled up to include 8,350 beneficiaries and would be supported after the training to set up their businesses.

The Central Regional Minister Justina Marigold Assan, thanked the president for the fishing harbour which had boosted fishing activities further in the area.

Fisheries bank

The Paramount Chief of Elmina, Nana Kwadwo Conduah called for the establishment of a fisheries bank to support those engaged in the fisheries.

Near commotion 

Meanwhile there was near chaos when a canoe with suspected illegal fishing gear landed at the harbour after the programme.

Security personnel in an attempt to arrest the canoe operator saw some resistance by some community members which nearly resulted in a clash.

Eventually the police managed to arrest the boat owner.