FEU Destroys Illegal Fishing Nets Worth Gh¢3m

The Fisheries Enforcement Unit (FEU) of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MOFAD) has destroyed illegal fishing nets worth about GH¢3m at the Kpone Landfill site in Accra.

FEU, which is made up of the Ghana Navy, Ghana Marine Police and the Fisheries Commission, destroyed 30 pieces of trawl nets and 200 pieces of monofilament nets which were seized from about a thousand fishermen within a period of three years mainly in Kokrobite, Ada, Tema and Keta.

Speaking to the media during the exercise, yesterday, Mr Godfrey Baidoo Tsibu, Head, Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Division, Fisheries Commission, explained that the Commission was mandated to ensure that laws governing fisheries were adhered to.

Mr Tsibu warned that fisher folk who were caught engaging in any form of illegal fishing activities would be arrested and prosecuted or fined to serve as a deterrent to fisher folk using unapproved fishing methods.

In his remarks, Joseph Yeboah, Assistant Director, Fisheries Commission, gave the approved specification of fishing nets to be used in Ghana's waters as 60mm, adding that monofilament nets should be used for inland fishing while multifilament nets were required for marine fishing.

"The nets being destroyed are monofilament nets which are being used for marine fishing instead of inland fishing," Mr Yeboah said, adding that the fine for engaging in the use of illegal fishing nets was one million dollars.

Source: ISD (Eva Frempon-Ntiamoah)

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