Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture and some senior officials of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) have begun deliberations in Accra on how to improve sustainable fisheries governance.
The seventh conference is on the theme: “OACPS Blue Economy Agenda 2030 – Catalysing sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development for the future”.
Participants at the two-day technical meeting will exchange views on scaling-up sustainable and inclusive fisheries and aquaculture value chain to transform food systems. They will also consider a draft OACPS strategic plan for fisheries and aquaculture 2030.
The meeting is part of the biennial OACPS Ministerial conference scheduled for Accra from April 5 to 8, 2022, which will be attended by policymakers from 79 countries, including 48 from Africa, development partners and international organisations.
The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mavis Hawa Koomson, said the fisheries sector played significant roles in the member countries of OACPS, where fish and fishery products constituted one of the most-traded food commodities for export.
Unfortunately, she said, fish production around the world had been declining, with many developing countries also experiencing a reduction in profits. She mentioned some of the factors affecting the sector including illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing, climate change, ocean pollution and marine degradation…