GRi BEF News Ghana 29 - 11 - 2000
Fishing industry
is collapsing - Acheampong
Fishing industry
is collapsing - Acheampong
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 November
2000
Mr Mike Acheampong, Deputy
Minister of Food and Agriculture on Tuesday said irresponsible fishing practice
is depleting fish stocks, a dangerous phenomenon for the country.
He said recent surveys conducted
by the Fisheries Department in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) and the Norwegian Fisheries, indicated that Ghana's fishing
industry is on the verge of collapse because of bad fishing practice.
In a speech read for him at a
day's seminar on Ghana's marine fisheries resources, the Deputy Minister said
fishermen wrongly believe that the resources are inexhaustible.
The seminar aims at updating
information about the level of fish stocks being over exploited and make
recommendations for solution.
Mr Acheampong said fish accounts
for five per cent of the agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 10 per
cent of the country's animal protein requirements, therefore the consequence of
the failure of the industry can be disastrous to the economy.
"Apart from depriving 1.8
million Ghanaians (forming 10 per cent of the population) of their source of
livelihood, it can also bring untold suffering to the populace."
He said to bring the problem under
control, government has instituted measures to monitor the fish stocks and
prevent over exploitation.
GRi…/