Fishermen worried about continuous use of light and dynamite

Kormantse (C/R), Nov 30, GNA - A group of concerned fishermen in the Central Region have expressed disappointment about the continuous use of dynamite, light and poisonous chemicals for fishing despite the passage of a law banning those items from the fishing industry. At an encounter with the media at Kormantse on Monday the groups led by Mr Eric Nana Baffoe from Kormantse, Robert Quayson from Biriwa, James Essuon from Anomabo and Kwesi Arhin from Ankaful said there were 225 landing beaches in the country out of which only four - Sekondi, Elmina, Mumford and Apam - were in favour of using light, dynamite and chemicals for fishing. Their spokesman, Mr Baffoe, said the 221 landing beaches that were not in favour worked hard to get Parliament to pass the Act in August 2010. He said about a week to the mandated 21 days for the Bill to be passed into law, it was alleged that those in favour of the bad fishing practices were organizing to meet some top officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Fisheries Commission to influence them to prevent the passage of the Act.

Mr Baffoe said they organized those who were not in favour in 10 buses to the MOFA conference room where they learnt the meeting was being held to disrupt their plans.

He said when they got there they saw that it was a close-door meeting which they were not allowed to enter. The spokesman said the police were invited to maintain order and after the meeting some top officials of the Ministry and the Fisheries Commission explained to them that their colleagues were pleading for a three-month grace period before the Act could be passed. He said they protested vehemently that their request should not be granted and added that when the Act was passed "we knew that the request was thrown overboard." Mr Baffoe said the inability of the authorities to enforce the Act had made them to believe that their colleagues, who were bent to sabotage the Act from becoming forceful, had managed to influence certain personalities. "If the police can fight armed robbers in a shootout and conquer them, why can't the Navy with the support of other law enforcing agents handle these unpatriotic fishermen who are not armed?" Mr Baffoe asked. The spokesman said the activities of these economic saboteurs had rendered the sea depleted and the hope of fishermen to make bumper harvest during the last main fishing season, from June to September 2010, was dashed as they only piled up debts from fuel cost. He said those who had bought fishing gear on credit could not pay their debts. Mr Bafoe said the catch from the use of dynamite and chemicals could be dangerous for human consumption and appealed to the government to use any available means to enforce the Act.