Illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey, has resulted in the reduction of the quantity of fish harvest by 26 per cent within the last decade, Dr Kwesi Aning, Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), has revealed.

“Galamsey has contributed to reducing the catch in this country of fish by 26 per cent over the last 10 years,” he told Moro Awudu on Class91.3FM Tuesday July 18, adding: “The fishermen are saying the herrings are coming back but not in the quantities we are used to 20 years ago.”

He was of the view that even though it seems the fight against galamsey is being won, authorities and stakeholders must not relax.

He said government must make efforts to engage individuals in the practice in other meaningful ventures to prevent them from engaging in unlawful acts.

Another concern of his is the proliferation of arms in galamsey areas, a development he feels must be arrested to prevent the use of such weapons for any criminal acts.

For him, the assurance by President Nana Akufo-Addo that he will put his presidency on the line to end galamsey should be enough to make security forces know that they have the support of the president to curtail small-scale illegal mining, which is destroying the country’s natural resources.