They said though fisheries sector continues to develop and grow, the destabilising impacts of the vessels did not only endan­ger the marine ecosystem but community livelihoods and small-scale fisheries.

The World Fisheries Day was commemorated at a durbar at Aboadze, a fishing communi­ty in the Western Region of Ghana, and it brought together community members, local fish­ermen, government officials, and environmental advocates.

The Day is celebrated all around the world in recognition of the vital role of fisheries in the lives of mankind and it serves as an important remind­er of the necessity to sustain­ably manage marine resources.

Speaking at the event, Mr Gabriel Gator, Research Officer with the Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa (CE­MLAWS Africa), indicated that the risks that industrial vessels posed to local communities threatened marine biodiversity.

He said the risks also under­mined the traditional liveli­hoods of artisanal fishers who had fished in the waters sustain­ably for generations, and called for policies to protect artisanal fishers and ensure the health of Ghana’s marine ecosystems.

“Also, there is the need for advocacy and awareness creation among local artisanal fisher groups on the negative impacts of trawlers which include illegal, unregulated, unreported (IUU) fishing, lead­ing to depletion of fish stocks, destabilising local and artisanal livelihoods and fisheries value chain,” Mr Gator elaborated.

He called for stricter en­forcement mechanisms through monitoring, control and surveil­lance (MCS) on industrial fishing practices, and better protection for artisanal fishing zones and community participation to safeguard their livelihoods and fisheries resources.

CEMLAWS Africa, a non-governmental organization, in Collaboration with Centre for Coastal Management and University of Cape Coast, is spearheading a project themed: ‘Promoting Transparency, Ac­countability and Local Capacity to Address the Destabilising Impacts of Foreign Distant Wa­ter Fishing Vessels in the Gulf of Guinea and in the Waters of Mauritania.’

The organisations embarked on a sensitisation and advocacy campaign in the various com­munities around Aboadze, using flyers and stickers that had five messages on addressing the negative impacts of trawlers in Ghanaian waters.

The advocacy campaign placed emphasis on the signifi­cance of protecting the artis­anal fishing industry from the negative impacts of industrial fishing, inspiring community support for sustainable practices that respect traditional fishing methods and safeguard import­ant habitats.