Accra, Aug. 5, GNA - Nii Armah Ashietey, Greater Accra Regional Minister, has reiterated Government's commitment to solve challenges faci= ng fishermen and the fishing industry in the country. Addressing a meeting of Chief Canoe Fishermen from Greater Accra Regio= n to deliberate on challenges facing the fishing industry in Accra on Friday, Nii Ashietey bemoaned the sharp divisions among fishing communities and urged them to unite in order that they could articulate their grievances with a common voice.

Some of them were from Kokrobite, Chorkor, Ada, Tema, Botianor, Jamestown and Upper and Lower Pampram.

He urged them to respect the decentralisation system in the country an= d channel their grievances through district assemblies for redress. Nii Ashietey commended fishermen for their contribution towards the country's socio-economic development and called for more involvement of t= he youth in fishing. He called for rigorous enforcement of the Fisheries Act in their operations to bring sanity into the industry and urged all government agencies involved in the fishing industry to collaborate with other stakeholders in the country. Nii Abiala 11, Spokesman for the fishermen called on them to respect instructions from their senior colleagues in their localities for sanity to prevail in the fishing industry. He urged fishermen perceived to be rich to desist from influencing others with their wealth in efforts to breach laid down rules and regulations in the industry.

Nii Abiala appealed to fishermen who travelled to Nigeria due to poor harvest to return and help in the growth of the industry. He cited pair trawling and light fishing as some of the challenges facing fishing communities in the country. Mr Emmanuel Aryee, Deputy Director of Fisheries, Fisheries Commission, called on fishermen to have inscriptions on their canoes for easy identification. He announced that Government would take delivery of two patrol vessels from China in October to help in patrolling the coastal areas.