The European Union ambassador in Ghana has called for stronger collaborative efforts among stakeholders in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, reports All Africa.
H.E. William Hanna, speaking at the launch of an EU-funded fisheries governance project in Ghana’s capital Accra, noted that fisheries resources in west Africa were under increasing pressure from population density, food needs, poverty and irrational methods of exploitation, including IUU fishing.
He therefore urged the international community to ratify and implement the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s port state measures agreement, that should allow coastal nations to deny port entry and services to foreign vessels suspected of illegal fishing.
Even though Ghana had ratified the agreement, more work was required in the area of implementation and urged government to ensure that no foreign trawlers flying Ghanaian flags flouted the law, he said.
“They must not be allowed to fish illegally in foreign waters; fish without licenses; engage in transshipment, light fishing, use of undersized mesh, dumping of fish at sea and use of explosives and poison. All these are illegal activities,” he said.
2017 Undercurrent News