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Elizabeth Afoley Quaye said the ministry had hired all stakeholders before settling on May 15, closing period
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The fisheries minister revealed that the department reluctantly accepted the closure from May 15 to June 15.
According to Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, some people were expecting the Department to oppose the proposed dates this year so that the closure period does not go away.
"So we reluctantly accepted the dates from May 15 to June 15, believing that due to minimal production [within that date]… we still did some [progress]," she says.
Speaking to reporters in Accra on Wednesday, the minister said the fishermen would benefit, as industrial companies began shutting down in August, when they could watch theirs.
His comments follow a letter to the ministry from members of the National Council of Fishers and Canoes of Ghana (GNCFC), confirming the choice of the month of August for the start of the closing season.
In their view, the department should consider sticking to that and not the new May 15 announcement date.
Last year, the government postponed the ban on all fishing activities in Ghana, which was scheduled to begin on August 7, 2018 and is expected to be implemented this year.
The decision followed a series of riots raised against the planned implementation, with many fishermen having promised to violate the order.
Related: Government takes action to protect depleted fish stock announced to close season
Some Cape Coast fishermen protest against last year's tight season
However, Ms. Afoley Quaye does not accept the request of the GNCFC.
She stated that the department had "appropriately engaged the fishermen and that they had communicated the date that they deemed acceptable to them".
She lamented that some individuals and groups give the impression that the ministry is autocratic and does not engage fishermen and other stakeholders.
"We do a lot of missions … we spend most of our time with the fishermen … Now, every meeting we have with them is recorded. It's because we do not want a situation where some fishermen will say they are not engaged, "she revealed.
Ms. Afoley Quaye said detractors should stop hiding behind some elements to create problems for the sector players.
"It is the Department of Fisheries that regulates the sector in this country and we can not badign our mandate to any group of people. It is our duty and we are doing what we are supposed to do, "she said.
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