JRFE calls on Fisheries Ministry to reverse decision on closed season for artisanals
The Journalists for Responsible Fisheries and Environment (JRFE) has called on the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) to reconsider its decision to exempt artisanal fishers from the 2025 closed fishing season.
The group, known for its advocacy on sustainable fishing and marine conservation, in a statement last Tuesday, described the ministry’s move as a serious setback in Ghana’s long-standing efforts to rebuild its dwindling fish stocks.
Signed by its Executive Director, Kingsley Nana Buadu, the group, in its statement, said the exemption ran contrary to the country’s fisheries management plan and also stood to undermine years of progress made in restoring marine ecosystems.
"The closed season, which has been introduced as a conservation strategy in 2016, has over time gained considerable compliance, particularly among artisanal fishers following years of education, engagement and gradual inclusion”, the statement stated.
It has thus appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to intervene and ensure that the integrity of the country’s fisheries management framework was preserved as they believed presidential leadership was essential to halting” a decision with far-reaching consequences.”
Closed season
The closed season was implemented in 2016 as a response to alarming signs of overfishing and marine resource depletion and as such sustainability efforts must be maintained.
Artisanal fishers were initially hesitant about the policy but following extensive engagement, they were officially included in 2019.
Since then, compliance within this category of fishers has improved significantly, making the exemption particularly worrying to stakeholders.
Breach
The JRFE stressed that this was not the time to reverse gains made through sacrifice and cooperation, as by exempting this group, the ministry was not only breaching the plan but also setting a dangerous precedent that could derail national and regional efforts at curbing overfishing.
The JRFE cautioned that the decision by the ministry could erode public confidence in the policy, as well as demoralise stakeholders who had supported and promoted responsible fishing practices.
“It took time, effort and resources to get artisanal fishers to understand and accept the need for the closed season.
“We cannot take one step forward and then three steps backwards. Millions of Ghanaians depend on artisanal fisheries for their livelihoods.
We cannot fail posterity,” he added.
It further reminded the ministry that the current fisheries management plan, covering 2022 to 2026, clearly stipulated that all categories of fishing fleets, including artisanal fishers must observe the annual closed season.
The group warned that exempting artisanal fishers from the closed season would only intensify the existing crisis of overfishing, with ripple effects on food security, economic livelihoods and biodiversity.
Effect
It noted that Ghana had over the years earned regional recognition for its leadership in fisheries management, prompting neighbouring countries to replicate its policies.
It, therefore, feared that the latest development could tarnish Ghana’s image as a model for responsible fisheries governance in West Africa and urged MoFAD and the Fisheries Commission to instead focus on strengthening the enforcement of existing laws, including the proper registration and licensing of canoes, maintaining the ban on new canoe construction, taking decisive action against illegal fishing and promoting the use of environmentally approved nets.
Citing Section 42 of the Fisheries Act (Act 625), JRFE reminded the ministry that policy decisions in the sector were legally required to be informed by scientific evidence rather than administrative convenience.
