The Minister in charge of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson has officially announced this year’s closed season for inshore and artisanal fishers along the coastal regions of Ghana.
The closed season which starts today, 1st to 31st July for canoe and inshore fishers; 1st July to August 31, 2021, for industrial trawlers was declared by the Minister at a ceremony in Keta in the Volta region.
Declaring the closure, the Minister indicated that the closed season was necessary for ensuring a reduction in excessive pressure and over-exploitation of fish stocks in the marine sub-sector.
She said, “We need to constantly remind ourselves that the Marine and inland sub-sectors have been confronted with challenges that tend to overturn the benefits from the fisheries sector if no action is taken. Currently, it is evident that fishery resources are overexploited and there are signs that some fish species have depleted.”
She added that sustainable implementation of the closed season will enable the sector to achieve long-term objectives of stock recovery.