Despite having a record of weak enforcement of its regulations against illegal fishing, Ghana has for the first time in nearly five years apprehended a trawler manned by Chinese and Ghanaian crew with an estimated 13.9 metric tons of illegal small pelagic fish caught in a single day, according to a press statement by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).
The trawler, which has been fined USD 1 million (EUR 896,661), was found using illegal nets that have been blamed for the destruction of pelagic fish habitats, denying small fishers an opportunity to catch fish with their local canoes.
The use of the full USD 1 million [EUR 896,661] fine is a welcome sign that the government is cracking down on the illegal and destructive practices of industrial trawlers, EJF said in a statement.
This is the first time a minimum fine of USD 1 million provided for in the 2014 Fisheries Amendment Act has been slapped on a trawler caught engaging in illegal fishing in Ghana, even though the country is replete with instances of out-of-court settlements.
EJF has called for full payment of the fine to deter similar illegal fishing incidents in Ghana, although it said there is concern that in the past, fines have been negotiated down or opaque out-of-court settlements have obscured whether the law has been enforced.
EJF noted that small pelagic fish populations in Ghana such as the sardinella, which is the mainstay of the country’s fishing community, have crashed over the past two decades, threatening the livelihoods of canoe fishers and the food security of coastal communities.
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