A recent survey by the Fisheries Alliance, a civil society organisation and advocate for sustainable fishing, indicates that fishers in several landing beaches across the country are still using illegal fishing nets for fishing.

The Alliance revealed there were visible signs of illegal net preparations at the beaches visited in July this year, and they were heavily suspicious that these nets were being made ready for use after the 2024 closed season.

Convener of Fisheries Alliance, Kwadwo Kyei Yamoah, said landing beaches they visited along the four coastal regions revealed disturbing issues of illegal fishing gear.

“We suspect that these fishers are making preparation with this illegal gear as the closed season for artisanal fishers ended on August 1, 2024. From coast to coast, each landing site visited had illegal fishing gear ready for fishing – including monofilament nets, multifilaments with illegal mesh sizes and accessories for light-fishing, among others,” he disclosed.

The various landing beaches visited, according to the organisation, were Kedzikope, Dzelukope and Fuveme in the Volta Region; Tema, Jamestown and Azizanya in the Greater Accra Region; Abandze, Anomabo, Moree and Elmina in the Central Region; and Ngyeresia, Sekondi, New Takoradi, Axim and Half-Assini in the Western Region.

“It is rather disturbing to see widespread illegal fishing gear along the landing sites, with fishers preparing to use them as soon as the fishing season is opened,’ Mr. Yamoah said.

Fisheries Alliance blamed the development on lack of visible signals for deterrence and enforcement of the laws governing use of illegal gear in the fisheries sector.

Minister’s caution

At a meeting ahead of this year’s closed season with fishers of the Greater Accra Region in June, Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson, pleaded with stakeholders and reminded them they need to avoid using illegal gear – which jeopardises the country’s fisheries assets.

The minister lamented that DDT, light, dynamite and illegal nets are still being used; a phenomenon, she explained, which put Ghana’s marine space in danger.

It is however worrying that the Fisheries Alliance’s survey heavily corroborated the ministry’s fears.

Indeed, Section 8(1) of the Legislative Instrument 1968, Fisheries Regulations 2010, stipulates that: “A person shall not use (a) a multifilament set-net the mesh size of which is less than fifty millimetres stretched in the marine waters or a riverine system; (b) a monofilament set-net the mesh size of which is less than seventy-five millimetres in stretched diagonal length in a riverine system; or (c) a monofilament set-net in the marine waters”.

It further stipulates in subsection (2) that: “A person who contravenes sub-regulation (I) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than one hundred and fifty penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not more than twelve months or to both”.