Mr Emmanuel M. Mensah, Director of the Marine Fisheries Management Division of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) on Tuesday said the absence of a national management and regulatory policy on the fishery sub-sector was responsible for its dismal performance over the years.

He said this had led to over-capitalisation of marine fishing and couple with non-enforcement of its byelaws had resulted in the over-exploitation of fishery resources. Mr Mensah was addressing a day's seminar on Marine Fisheries Management Plan for stakeholders and administrators of the sub-sector at Keta in the Volta Region.

The seminar, formed part of the Fisheries Sub-sector Capacity-Building Project (FSCBP), which is being funded with a 10 million-dollar World Bank and Ghana government support. The FSCBP is aimed at strengthening and establishing a long-term sustainable exploitation of the fisheries resources and maximise the sectors contribution to the economy.

The seminar was to formulate a sound fisheries policy and management plans, their implementation through monitoring control, surveillance and enforcement as well as promote community-based management of fisheries resources.

Regional and District Directors of MOFA, District Chief Executives (DCEs) and District Co-ordinating Directors and fishermen from the Dangme East and Dangme West Districts of the Greater Accra region and Keta and Ketu of the Volta Region attended the seminar to make input into the national strategy.

Mr Mensah said over-exploitation of the fish stock had resulted in the destruction of the marine eco-system and bio-diversity and the extinction of some fish species.

He called for a precautionary approach to promote measures that would ensure efficient ways of exploiting the fishery resource to meet the nutritional needs of the people and for export. Mr Mensah said trawling in the in-shore exclusive zone below the 30-metre depth, the use of the seine net and shrimp fishing close to estuaries and lagoons were prohibited.

He suggested an aggressive strategy to introduce an alternative employment opportunities combined with education and resources to alleviate the social consequences of the change.

Mr Mensah urged fishermen to rationalise all regulations and byelaws to make their enforcement practicable. Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Region Minister, in an address read for him said government was determined to improve and revamp the fishery industry as part of its overall economic development strategy.

The Minister expressed regret that fishermen from Ghana working in neighbouring countries conformed to laws and regulations governing the industry in those countries but flouted them with impunity back home.

He appealed to fishermen to desist from the unacceptable practices that might amount to "destroying the bird that lays the golden egg''. Mr Owusu-Yeboa said fishery was renewable natural resource but if not properly managed could be destroyed beyond revitalisation as had happened to some species.

He said stringent measures were also being taken to forestall diversion of premix fuel adding, "benefits accruing from the sale of the commodity would be channelled to develop fishing communities''. Mr Paul Bannerman, a senior fisheries officer, called for the adoption of sound conservation and management strategies to rejuvenate the industry.

Vice Admiral Emmanus Owusu-Ansah (rtd), Chairman of the Fisheries Commission, said the sub-sector would soon be a corporate entity and would not entertain "anybody procuring a boat or canoe, outboard motor, net and other inputs and begin to trade''.