Law to enforce ban on light, carbide and DDT fishing ready in June

Accra, April 7, GNA - A new Legislative Instrument (LI) to enforce the ban on the use of light, carbide, DDT, dynamite and other explosives for fishing, is to be passed in June this year. Nii Amasah Namoale, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in Charge of Fisheries, who told the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday, said the LI, which has received Cabinet approval, was now before Parliament expected to be passed in three weeks after parliament resume sitting in May 18, 2010.

According to him the new regulation would injects greater sanity and discipline in the fishing sector and stressed that the enforcement would be strictly implemented in all territorial waters nationwide. It will be recalled that the said LI was earlier laid before Parliament but it was rejected because there was no Fisheries Commission at that time to give its consent was provided the statues. Nii Namoale made this known during a tour of some landing beaches at Tema and Pranpram in the Greater Accra Region to explain issues surrounding the sale premix fuel and the nuances of the new LI. Mr Enoch T. Mensah, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare led the delegation to tour the beaches in his capacity as the Acting Minister of MOFA together with other officials from the regional MOFA. Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, the substantive Minister of MOFA was said to be on leave.

At Tema where the delegation met with the members of the Landing Beach Committee, fishermen, fishmongers and community members, Nii Namoale explained the distribution and sale of premix and reminded them that the revenue that accrue belonged to the fishing community for development purposes.

He said no member of the community should sit unconcern and wait for government to create jobs for him or her explaining that the sale of the premix by the Landing Beach Committees was supposed to be used to provide among other things employment.

"You have to 'shine your eyes' and know your rights as far as the sale of the premix is concern. President Mills knows the unemployment situation and has therefore directed that the revenues from the sale of premix should be used to develop communities and make life bearable," Nii Namoale said.

He said each premix tanker contains 3500 litres, which generates a minimum profit of GH¢900 after sale for the community.