Fishermen must comply with fishing regulations and do away with unhealthy fishing practices in order to protect marine life and sustain livelihoods, Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem (KEEA) MP Samuel Atta-Mills has admonished.
The warning following the upsurge in illegal fishing methods in the country’s seas for the past few years. Fishermen have been accused of resorting to light, carbide, dynamite, and prohibited nets for fishing, a practice that has been observed to deplete fishing stock and pose a danger to human lives. Some arrests have been made in coastal areas by the navy and police as the state makes efforts to deter the practice.
Speaking at a durbar to climax the 2017 Bakatue festival at the forecourt of the Elmina Castle, Mr Atta-Mills urged fishermen in his constituency to adopt proper fishing methods and save the sea.
“If we destroy the sea it will affect all of us. Let’s put an end to the ‘galamsey’ in the sea because we have only one sea,” he urged.
He also called on authorities to fix the shortage of premix fuel in the Central Region, saying: “We will urge the government to ensure the supply of premix fuel so our fishermen can go to sea and bring some catch.”
Bakatue is celebrated annually in the first week of July to commence the fishing season and the 2017 event was climaxed with several cultural displays and activities.
The paramount chief of Edina traditional area, Nana Kodwo Conduah VI, called on government to come to the aid of Edinaman Senior High School.
He also congratulated the Managing Director (MD) of the National Investment Bank (NIB), John Kwaku Asamoah, for saving the bank from a US$60million judgment debt.
This year’s festival brought together all sub-chiefs of the traditional area and several corporate bodies in harmony.
The grand durbar of the week-long celebration dubbed: “Promotion of Made-in-Ghana Goods” was alos attended by NPP regional executives including chairman Robert Kingsley Kutin and Deputy Central Regional Minister Thomas Adjei Baffour. Cape Coast South MP Kweku Ricketts-Hagan was also present.
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
