The Fisheries Enforcement Unit has intensified efforts to clamp down on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in Ghana's waters.Practices such as light fishing, dynamite use, and the application of harmful chemicals including DDT and carbide, continue to threaten the sustainability of the fisheries sector by depleting fish stocks and disrupting marine ecosystems."We have warned and educated, and now we are going to the next level in terms of enforcement.

The Fisheries Enforcement Unit, comprising the Navy and Marine Police, is changing gears, and offenders will face the full rigours of the law."Light fishing is against the law, dynamite fishing is against the law, and we are going to do as the law requires of us to do," The Minis­ter of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), Emelia Arthur, said.She made the remarks during a stakeholder engagement held in Accra yesterday with industry players to address pressing issues affecting the sector and chart a path toward sustainable growth.Under Ghana's Fisheries Reg­ulations L.I. 1968 and L.I. 2217, such IUU practices, often carried out by artisanal fishers who form majority of the fishing population, are explicitly banned due to their destructive nature.Ms Arthur explained that to encourage compliance and reduce the economic burden on artisanal fishers, the government this year did not impose a closed season on them, unlike industrial and semi-industrial vessels."We have maintained that the closed season must have an objective.

In this instance, the objectives are to ensure conserva­tion of the environment, and also safeguard the social and economic livelihoods of fishers.That's why this year we imple­mented a modified closed season, two months for industrial vessels, one month for semi-industrial vessels but exempted the artisanal fishers," she explained.According to the Minister, the exemption came with conditions, saying; "The conditions given them were twofold: one, to return to the traditional management measure of not fishing at least one day a week and two, to put a complete stop to all illegal fishing activities.""You realise that communi­ties where these practices have stopped reported bumper harvests this year, so we have done our part, and I'm using this medium to announce to all fishermen that you have been warned," she emphasised.The Minister commended the efforts of chief fishermen and local fishing associations who have taken it upon themselves to educate communities and advo­cate against harmful practices.Highlighting that the fisher­ies sector is currently the best performing subsector within the agriculture value chain, contribut­ing significantly to Ghana's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Ms Arthur said the Ministry remains committed to research-driven innovations to further boost growth."This mid-year review brought fantastic news, but it also comes with responsibility - for govern­ment, policymakers, and industry players themselves.

We must all work together to sustain the gains made," she urged. BY ABIGAIL ANNOH