Only industrial trawlers will be subject to a "closed season," according to John Mahama.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the next NDC-led government will implement a "closed season" for only industrial fishing trawlers as part of a multifaceted intervention to revitalize the fisheries sector.
He claimed that the growing number of industrial fishing vessels and their illegal fishing practices in Ghana's territorial waters had contributed significantly to the depletion of marine stocks.
As a result, he said, "artisanal fishers would be allowed to operate during the closed season to support their livelihoods."
Hence "When the NDC takes power, the closed season law will not apply to small-scale fishermen who use canoes." "The big trawlers will be prohibited from fishing during the closed season," he added.
Former President Mahama made the promise during a three-day tour of the Central Region in Cape Coast, where he addressed hundreds of party delegates and supporters from Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem and Cape Coast.
"It is not canoe fishermen who are destroying the sea, but heavy industrial trawlers that fish beyond their nautical miles while engaging in all forms of illegal fishing," the former President stated.
The former President also paid visits to the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Mfantseman, and Abura-Aseibu-Kwamankese areas, accompanied by some party stalwarts.
The term "closed season," also known as a "biological rest period," refers to the suspension of fishing activities during a fish stock's spawning period.
Closed seasons are observed to reduce fishing expedition pressure on stocks when they are most productive and to allow fish to lay eggs to replace the population lost due to overfishing and other natural causes.
Former President also promised to simplify the fishing industry's handling of premix fuel, fishing nets, and outboard motors for the benefit of fishermen and other industry stakeholders.
He stated that the Ghana Navy and the Marine Police would be resourced and supported to be ready and alert to counter all other forms of illegal, unreported, and unregulated practices in order to effectively monitor and protect marine resources.
Professor Richard Kofi Asiedu, the Regional Chairman of the party, added his voice to the call on the delegates to vote for the former President to lead the party into victory in the Elections 2024.
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