In June last year the vessel Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956 was caught with illegal nets and undersized small pelagic’ fish onboard the staple catch of the artisanal canoe fishers. The US$1 million fine that was imposed is the statutory minimum under Ghana’s 2014 Fisheries Amendment Act. However, owners have refused to pay the fine.
Last year, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) praised the Fisheries Commission’s decision to publicly pursue the full US$1 million fine. This is worthy of recognition, the NGO said, since even after the act was passed other perpetrators have paid lower sums, or undisclosed amounts in opaque out-of-court settlements.
In 2017, for instance, the owners of a Ghanaian-flagged industrial trawler, Meng Xin 16, refused to pay a fine imposed by an out-of-court settlement committee in a case of illegal trans-shipment. The vessel has since paid an undisclosed sum and been re-licensed to continue fishing. Another vessel, the Meng Xin 29, which was fined for illegal fishing in 2019, has also refused to pay and since been re-licensed to fish.
Around 90% of Ghana’s industrial fishing fleet is linked to Chinese ownership, an EJF investigation revealed in 2018 . As Ghana’s fisheries laws prohibit foreigners from engaging in joint ventures in the industrial trawl sector, Chinese organisations operate through Ghanaian front’ companies, using opaque corporate structures to import their vessels, register and obtain a licence.
These underhand dealings have precluded attempts to ensure the true beneficiaries of illegal activities are held to account, says EJF.