Since the introduction of the 2014 Fisheries Management Plan, Ghana has implemented annual closed seasons for industrial fleets, and in 2019, artisanal fishers were included after a failed attempt in 2018.

However, in a move that has sparked concern among stakeholders, the current minister has announced that artisanal fishers will be exempted from this year’s closed season.

In a statement signed by Kingsley Nana Buadu, Executive Director of JRFE, the group described the decision as “worrying”, particularly as Ghana has recently succeeded in influencing other countries in the sub-region to implement the closed season across all fishing fleets.

“With this decision taken, and knowing very well that there are a number of scientific measures being implemented to help replenish Ghana’s fishery resources, JRFE calls on the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) and the Fisheries Commission to ensure strict adherence to the implementation of these measures,” the statement read.

JRFE highlighted several critical management strategies that must not be compromised. These include:

• Enforcement of fisheries laws
• Registration and licensing of all canoes
• Full enforcement of the moratorium on new canoes to avoid overcapacity
• Punishment for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities
• Mandating the use of multifilament nets by artisanal fishers
• Observance of traditional non-fishing days and an additional fishing holiday

“To ensure that this decision by the ministry does not erode the gains made through tireless efforts by academia, the Fisheries Scientific Working Group, the Fisheries Commission, NGOs, civil society, the media and MoFAD must, as a matter of urgency, enforce all other fisheries management measures,” the statement added.

JRFE cited Section 42 of the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625), which mandates the ministry and the commission to base all fisheries policies and decisions on scientific evidence to prevent overexploitation.

In line with this, the group called on President John Dramani Mahama and MoFAD to reconsider the decision to exempt artisanal fishers from the annual closed season.

The current Marine Fisheries Management Plan (2022–2026) requires the enforcement of the closed season across all fleets to support the rebuilding of marine stocks.

JRFE, a journalist and media advocacy network focused on fisheries, the blue economy, environment and climate change adaptation, has worked in all four coastal regions of Ghana over the last decade.

The organisation has been instrumental in supporting the state, fisherfolk, academia and civil society to protect the country’s marine resources.

“It took time, effort and resources to get artisanal fishers to appreciate and comply with the annual closed season,” said Mr. Buadu.

“The compliance level last year, for instance, was phenomenal—an indication that extensive education and awareness creation has paid off. We cannot take one step forward and three steps back. We owe it to posterity to safeguard this vital resource that millions of Ghanaians depend on for their livelihoods.”