No catch today, ban on fishing was for our good - President of Ghana Inshore Fishing Association

President of Ghana Inshore Fishing Association, Joseph Nii Armah Quaye has said the ban on fishing was in the right direction.

He laments that catch has reduced drastically to zero using his day’s experience as an example.

“As I speak to you, I just came from sea after spending GH¢2000 but I caught nothing”, Mr Qauye disclosed on Onua FM.

According to Mr Qauye, his experience at sea demonstrates the extent of depletion the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development was trying to prevent with the closed-season fishing.

“This shows the intensity of collapse the fishing industry is heading towards”, he observed.

As part of government’s decision to protect fish stock, the ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development announced a closed season fishing to start from August 7 but cabinet was forced to suspended it.

The suspension of the ban as announced by the sector minister was to allow fishers who had resisted the ban ample time to prepare and comply next year.

But Mr. Quaye said he believed the initial plan by the ministry to place a ban on fishing for a month was in their own interest.

“I believe that the decision the minister took was in the right direction because it would have helped us”, he noted.

He thus pleaded with colleague fishers to desist from illegal fishing activities so as not to further degenerate the situation.

“The crux of the matter is that there are so many inappropriate practices the fishermen are involved in which they should avoid. For instance, the use of dynamite as well as the influx of plastic bags into the sea.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has stated their projection shows that fisheries are on the verge of “crushing” and wanted to prevent same through the closed-season fishing but had to suspend it.

Chief Director of the Ministry, Prof. Francis Nunoo, predicted on 3FM’s Sunrise, Monday August 6, their inability to enforce the close season fishing may cause an entire depletion of the fisheries if care is not taken.