Fishermen at the Tema New Town are counting their losses after often returning home with very little catch in recent times.
According to the fishermen at the Tema Fishing Harbour, they make close to nothing after investing so much money into their expeditions.
Most times, they cannot even pay back monies borrowed from friends and family because of the poor catch they get.
Fishermen across the country have in recent times agitated against the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development’s resolve to stop fishing for one month in August 2018, with the aim of replenishing the fish stock.
The Ministry however yielded to resistance from the fisher-folks who said the government did not consult widely before the announcement.
Almost halfway into the expected bumper season of August, many of the fishermen say they are yet to make any decent catch.
One of such fishers, Dadah, told Citi News he used to enjoy very good catch around this period in times past.
“It seems the fish stock is sharply dwindling because this is not what we used to catch. I remember we brought home all manner of species, including barracuda, horse Mackerel, and herrings, but nowadays we do not get them anymore,” he said.
His frustration was echoed not only by other fishermen, but by the fish sellers and mongers whose businesses are directly linked to the daily catch of the fishers.
They told Citi News of the economic hardships they are now faced with because they do not get enough fish to sell.
“I used to make a daily profit of three hundred cedis, but nowadays I only make fifty cedis. I blame this on the catch. Our profits have reduced drastically, so we are not getting enough to cater for the family,” a fish seller lamented.
It is however interesting to note the accuracy of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development’s prediction of a decline in fishermen’s harvest this year.
This is because of the declining fish stock from the past fifteen to twenty years caused by a number of factors such as the use of various unorthodox fishing methods.
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By: Nii Armah Ammah/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
