CaFGOAG engages Volta fishers on ISIPSK sankofa project

The Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG) has engaged fishers in the southern part of the Volta Region under an initiative dubbed "Creating Synergies Between Indigenous Practices and Scientific Knowledge (ISIPSK)" under the Sankofa Project.

The aim was to collect and analyze first-hand information and data from the fishers on indigenous fishing practices and how to create synergies between such practices and modern methods in order to assist in shaping policies and improve fishing and other related activities in Ghana and elsewhere.

It took place between July 1 and July 3 and was implemented by the University of St. Andrews, in collaboration with CaFGOAG, the Fisheries Commission of Ghana (FCG), and the Fisheries Committee of the West and Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC).

The Fisheries Committee of the West and Central Gulf of Guinea oversees marine fisheries management issues in Liberia, La Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, with funding from the PEW Fellows Program in Marine Conservation at PEW Charitable Trust.

Participants and respondents were drawn from the various beaches along the southern coast of the Volta Region and were taken through focused group discussions with respondents answering questions on indigenous fishing practices and the impact of closed seasons on fishing activities and the livelihoods of the fishers.

Speaking at the engagement, the President of CaFGOAG, Nana Kweigya, expressed hope that the project would achieve its set goal and assist policymakers in improving fishing activities and bettering the lives of the fishers in the country.

He said CaFGOAG would continue to partner with the government through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) and other relevant institutions in the management of fishing and related activities in the country.

The CaFGOAG president commended the fishers for turning up in their numbers for the exercise and urged them to strictly observe the ongoing closed fishing season to avoid falling foul of the law.