The Journalists for Responsible Fisheries and Environment (JRFE), a network of Ghanaian journalists promoting responsible fishing on Ghana’s waters, is calling on the government to as a matter of urgency stop illegal transshipment of fish at sea.
The JRFE believes that the practice, which is popularly known as Saiko, if not stopped immediately will threaten the livelihoods of many artisanal fishers at the country’s coastal communities.
The group in a statement issued and signed by its Executive Director, Kingsley Nana Buadu, on Monday, August 17, 2020, said The JRFE is worried about how the livelihoods of artisanal fishers in the four coastal regions of Ghana, are being affected with the wanton disregard for the fisheries laws in Ghana by some industrial trawlers, especially in these times of COVID-19.
According to him, Saiko is threatening the jobs and food security of the fishing communities and Ghana’s economy in general.
He noted that although the country’s laws forbid the practice of saiko, some trawlers licensed to fish on Ghana’s waters engaged in the practice with impunity, hence promoting and encouraging the practice.
Some of these trawlers have been and are still engaging in the transhipment of fish at sea which the country’s fisheries laws forbid. The worrying aspect is that, they target species meant to be caught by local fishers, freeze them and then resell to the fishermen for profit, Nana Boadu explained.
He said considering the fact that, saiko has contributed to the decline and near collapse of the small pelagic stocks such as sardinella, chub mackerel and anchovies, it is necessary for the government to take decisive action against the practice.
He also called on the government to stop other illegal fishing activities such as over fishing and overcapacity, light fishing and fishing with chemicals to help save the lives of local fishers.
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