Support the ban on fishing

Support the prohibition of fishing

Traditional societies have used their customs, practices, values ​​and standards to preserve their resources in order to protect the environment. to ensure the continued availability of these resources . In Ghana, traditional societies have certain days designated as holy days where citizens are required to rest from activities such as farming, fishing and hunting.

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In some communities, people are prohibited from entering certain streams and rivers. This allows the self-replenishment of the water mbades to ensure their durability.

Unfortunately, modern societies have abandoned these progressive traditional practices, resulting in a disgusting environment, polluted water, among others, that we see all around us, with the emergence of preventable diseases and an unnecessary increase in our health bill.

One of the oldest practices still remains the ban on fishing along the coast on Tuesdays. This is a way of ensuring that fish and other forms of marine life are protected, secured and preserved through their replenishment.

But the ban on Tuesday was not enough to ensure the growth of fish stocks able to feed the population.

Fortunately, unlike other irreplaceable resources, the fish can be replenished if the necessary measures are put in place. In line with Ghana's fisheries management plan to reduce excessive pressure and overexploitation of fisheries resources in our waters, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture took a month to ban fishing in the waters of the country. .

Unsurprisingly, the announcement of the ban was met with mixed reactions, with a section of fishing groups registering their opposition and another expressing support.

The Daily Graphic shares the concern of those who plead with the government to lift the ban and impose it next year. But we want to implore them to accept the decision, because it is not in the exclusive interest of the whole country but also mainly in the fishing sector, including the many fishermen and fishmongers, who refuse to comply with the measures. This will ensure conservation will lead to a shortage of food that will affect the standard of living of the population.

Certainly, we must guard against on fishing at levels that can not support viable populations, since over-exploitation can lead to depletion of resources and put many species of fish in danger of extinction. According to the Daily Graphic, next year, fishermen should be sufficiently sensitized to the ban before it is implemented. We think that it would be appropriate to obtain the membership of various fishermen's badociations and fishmonger groups.

This will allow them to take ownership of the policy and implement interventions that will help them to support themselves during the one – month ban. We have not lost sight of the fact that some of these fishermen live from day to day.

We suggest that the department works hand in hand with our fishermen as soon as the ban is lifted and encourages them to make savings that can support them during the period of time. prohibition.

the Department should also consider the suggestions of creating other sources of subsistence for them, so that the effects of the prohibition would be as minimal as possible.

For now, we can only ask our fishermen and fishmongers for the ban to succeed for the good of all.