Mr. Kofi Abuga, Fisheries Adviser for the Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (SFMP) has said.

According to him, the concept has gained increasing acceptance among government development agencies and researchers as an important option to end the menace of illegal fishing.

Mr Abugah was addressing a durbar of chiefs and people of Elmina at a ceremony to commence the week-long celebration of the “Edina Bakatue”, a festival of the chiefs and people of Elmina.

Bakatue is celebrated annually to symbolically purify the town and also to ask for assistance from the gods of the Benya lagoon and their ancestors for bumper harvests in the fishing seasons.

Mr Abugah also said the Ministry was in the process of deploying community fish volunteers from the fishing communities to help combat the menace.

He warned fishermen to desist from engaging in illegal and unsustainable fishing practices such as the use of chemical, light, dynamites, explosives and small mesh sized nets to save the ecology.

The Omanhene's net caught fish and this signified there would be bumper harvest this year.

It was heralded by firing of muskets and thunderous applauds from a large section of the crowd of celebrants who shouted in joy and incitement

A durbar would be held on Saturday July 8 to climax the week-long festival and other activities.