The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) has issued a directive to industrial trawlers to make sure they use appropriate fishing nets to prevent catching disproportionate amounts of juvenile and small pelagic fish.
Small-scale fishermen rely on the small pelagic fishery for their livelihood and food security, with approximately 2.7 million Ghanaians depending on it.
A 2019 assessment on fishing gear by the Environmental Justice Foundation indicated that a regularly used trawler net – with a vertical aperture of approximately 40 meters – catches enormous quantities of pelagic and semi-pelagic fish.
“Every haul brought in a wide range of fish species,” according to the study, “although the majority collected during the audit were pelagic and semi-pelagic fish.” While there is a by-catch tolerance (estimated to be 10-15%), trawlers are not permitted to target these species.
This presents a serious challenge on why such significant volumes of non-target species are being deposited at ports, and what procedures, if any, are in place to guarantee that the allowable amount of by-catch is being followed.
Given that this occurs against the backdrop of extensive suspected illicit fishing, the report also raises questions on the effectiveness of the current observer system.
A lack of understanding in important institutions was also highlighted in the report, with only a tiny proportion of personnel at the Fisheries Commission able to distinguish between different types of nets.
It moreover discovered that many crucial vessel documentation was not in English, posing a serious impediment to the 2002 Fisheries Act’s enforcement because officers from the Fisheries Commission and the Fisheries Enforcement Unit were unable to establish whether the material was “true, complete, and proper.”
However, the Fisheries Regulations of 2010 make it clear that using nets with a stretched diagonal length of less than 50mm in coastal waters or a riverine system, or a monofilament set-net with a mesh of less than 75mm, is forbidden.
The EJF commended the decision, saying that the instruction must be carefully followed and that trawlers found to be in violation of the regulation must be sanctioned. The group has also called for sweeping changes, including the disclosure of beneficial ownership in the business.
“It is vital to enforce these requirements rigorously and apply punitive sanctions if they are broken,” says EJF.
“We support these reforms by the ministry, and encourage their rigorous execution along with deterrent fines for those abusing the law – with crimes and punishments made public,” said Steve Trent, CEO and founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation.