The Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association (GITA) has discredited the research conducted by a UK-based non-governmental organization – Environmental Justice Foundation – suggesting that Ghana loses between US$14 million and 23 million dollars annually in the trawl sector.

According to the organisation, the revenue losses in the sector are due to low licence fees and the poor punitive regime for fisheries-related infringements.

In the report, it also emerged that nine out of every 10 fishing trawlers operating in Ghana are beneficially owned by persons from China.

But Acting President of GITA, Peter Stephen Adjokatcher in reacting to the research report disagreed with the outcome.

He stated that the vessels are owned by Ghanaians and advised the researchers to engage industry players thoroughly before coming up with such findings.

“When people put out English like this, they just put dust into the whole public domain. People will think the Chinese are running issues here but all the fish being discharged are bought by the women who run the whole fisheries port. While putting the research together, if they are having difficulties, they definitely have to come to the industry players.”

“We handle and own the vessels, if you don’t come to us and supposedly find something to write, are you doing the country any good? The country is not making any losses here. All the trawlers you find here are owned by Ghanaians not Chinese. The Chinese are only the captains of the vessels because we don’t have a single Ghanaian vessel here”, he added.