The President assured them that Government would consider their concerns and appealed to members of the groups to make the national interest paramount in all their endeavours, to help regulate the fishing industry for the benefit of all.
President Mills charged members of the groups to fully cooperate with each other to ensure peace and progress for the development of the fishing industry.
The fishing groups, including the National Inland Fishermen Association, National Inshore Fishermen and the National Canoe Fishermen Association, are currently divided over the implementation of the Fisheries Act, particularly regarding the use of light for fishing.
The meetingfollowed recent disturbances in the industry, and President Mills said “I want all of you to work together,”, after listening to concerns of the leaders of the groups.
President Mills said the Government shared their concerns emanating from the enforcement of the Fisheries Law but assured them that the Government meant well in regulating activities in the fishing industry.
He called on the groups to fully engage the sector Ministry and the National Fisheries Commission to find amicable solution to their concerns.
Flt. Lt. Nii Tackie (Rtd), President of the National Fishermen Association of Ghana, the umbrella body for all the groups, called for sanity and transparency in the distributionof the pre-mix fuel, alleging that the system was being abused at some landing sites.
He called for better education on the Fisheries Act, to make the fishermen conversant with the provisions indicating that many of the fishing offences committed by members were as a result of inadequate education about the fishing law.
“There are problems, but they are surmountable,” he said, and asked the sector Ministry and the other regulatory bodies to offer a listening ear to the concerns of the fishermen.
GNA
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