The closed fishing season debate: Will Mahama’s promise hold?

Ghana has observed the closed fishing season since 2016.

This initiative by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development was implemented based on scientific recommendations to protect spawning fish and allow for replenishment of stock.

Although it aims to recover the small pelagic fish stock, which has been overexploited, it has garnered a lot of reactions since its implementation.

Fisherfolks who interacted with TV3 during this year’s closed fishing season complained about the challenges it presents.

The PRO for the Teshie Fishermen Association, Armaa Zimbabwe, suggested that the month for the closed season be changed from July to either June or May.

He said this is as a result of the bumper harvest they experience around that time, long before the initiative.

Kojo Adjumako, a fisherman at Jamestown Landing Beach, also explained that it was difficult to support his nine children during the season because the relief items were insufficient.

Others also expressed concerns about how they are exposed to hunger during the season, which forces them to engage in social vices.

The truth is that the impact is not only felt by the fishermen but also extends to shore laborers and fish processors, as there are no alternative livelihoods programs available for them.

Now, as the election countdown begins, new policies are emerging. The flagbearer for the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, has announced that there will be no closed season for artisanal fishers when they come to power.

At a town hall meeting at the Bukom Arena, he stated, “Those who put more pressure on the sea are the trawlers and the big fishing vessels. One measure that is even more important is that they are not supposed to fish within a certain nautical mile of the coast. And so rather than punish artisanal fishermen and saying you’re doing a closed season, make sure you monitor the number of nautical miles so that the trawlers don’t come there. If they don’t come there, the fish stocks will recover.”

Meanwhile, the Fisheries Act of 2002, ACT 625, section 84 mandates the fisheries commission to implement closed season. Additionally, the fisheries management plan of Ghana, for 2022 to 2026, approved by cabinet, stipulates that closed season for fishing shall be implemented for all fleet (with the exception of the tuna fleet). Will there be an amendment when the NDC takes over the administration?

On the contrary, convener of the Fisheries Alliance, Kyei ojo Yamoah disagrees with the proposal. Speaking on TV3 News Central, he argued, “Without the artisanal being part of the closed season, we will not achieve the purpose of building back the fish stock.”

He contends that the artisanal fishers catch about 70% of the small pelagic fish, which is contributing to the continuous decline of stock.

He further noted that, for the fisheries resources to be managed well, it includes implementing a successful closed season involving artisanal fishers. He said, “If we leave them out, the fish stock will go down rapidly and two, three years down the line when they go to sea, they will get no fish at all and they will end up blaming the government of the day.”

Yamoah, therefore, urges the NDC to review their policies, stating, “I know the former President is not a fisheries scientist or a technical person, normally he’s advised. So, I would want to advise his advisors to revise their notes, because if the important elements is to rebuild the stock so that when fishers go to see, they can get the fish, then the artisanal fishers we are talking about must be part.”

The battle of science and tradition still continues.

By Samuel Yeboah Adams