The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), Mavis Hawa Koomson, has said the Ministry will not countenance any illegal fishing activities in Ghana.

According to her, the Ministry will deal decisively with fishers found culpable of flouting laws regulating the fishing industry and those engaged in illegal fishing activities.

She warned artisanal fishermen, tuna vessels, and trawlers engaging in or intending to engage in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the four coastal regions of the country to stop the practice or face her wrath.

The Minister was speaking during a day's working visit to the Volta Region for an engagement with stakeholders in the fishing industry ahead of the planned 2024 closed season starting July 1.

Hawa Koomson said the fishing infractions, aside from the negative impacts of unfair competition, depletion of the fish stock, destruction of the marine ecosystem, and, by extension, livelihoods of fisherfolk, had implications on human health, hence the need for such culprits to be made to face the law.

The Minister explained that closed seasons had nothing to do with politics but were a measure to replenish the fish stock to avert the possible collapse of the fishing industry due to depleted stock.

She commended fishers in the Volta Region for their law-abiding nature, saying the region was ranked the best in adhering to laws regulating the industry, and urged them not to rest on their oars in holding onto that enviable position.

The newly appointed Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) and Member of Parliament (MP) for the Mion Constituency, Abdul-Aziz Ayaba Musah, who was part of the visiting team, implored the fishers to strictly obey fishing laws and to observe the 2024 closed season, which he said was for their benefit.

Deputy Volta Regional Chief Fisherman, Torgbi Seth Agbo-Kedey, speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, also highlighted the immense benefits of closed seasons, saying the benefits far outweighed the disadvantages.

He pledged to work together with all chief fishermen at the various beaches to ensure that the 2024 closed season was strictly observed in order to reap its benefits.

Closed season, also known as biological rest or no-harvesting period, is the halting of fishing activities during the spawning period of fish stocks when the fish are most productive.

It also gives the fish a chance to lay their eggs for the replacement of the lost population due to fishing and other natural causes.

Closed seasons are observed globally as a way of reducing fishing pressure on stocks and are considered one of the key fisheries management measures to help protect fish stocks and increase their population.