As per the press communiqué the Fisheries Act 625 of 2002 has been made mandatory for al the fishing vessels to be registered and to bear the markings of identity. Nii Amasa Naamoale, Deputy Minister of Agriculture in charge of Fisheries, said a Fishing Vessel Register and the marking of the Identification Number would become useful instruments to assist the Fisheries Commission in compiling the Fisheries data and information on canoes, fish landings amongst others.
He also told that this requirement had been well complied with in respect of the industrial and semi-industrial fleets to a lesser extent, it had not been so with the artisanal fleet. According to him this pilot programe would enable the Ministry to fix number plates on a total of one thousand out of 12,000 canoes currently operating in 10 districts along the marine coast.
In his comments Musa Saihou Mbenga, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Ghana, said that the World body viewed the need to put in place management measures in the artisanal fishery as a crucial for food security in Ghana.
Nii Armah Ashietey, Greater Accra Regional Minister, commended FAO for its financial support for the pilot project. He added that government would equip the Navy and the allied security agencies to be well placed in order to enforce the prohibition of the use of unorthodox fishing methods currently being used by some foreign fishing trawlers which continued to deplete our marine fish resources.
