Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that the country spends $200 million each year on importing fish to meet its domestic demand for fish.
This is owing to the fact that illicit, unregulated, and unreported fishing operations have played a substantial role in the depletion of fish supplies.
A national strategy to deal with illegal and uncontrolled fishing operations on its waters, he claims, and the government firmly supports a robust worldwide convention pact to battle plastic waste and unlawful marine activities on the high seas.
Nana Addo, who spoke at the One Ocean Summit in Brest, France, said that components of the National Plan included fish catch certification, the reactivation and installation of vessel monitoring systems (VMS), the installation of automatic identification systems (AIS) on vessels, port and beach inspections, and sea patrols, among other things.
In his statement, he stated that “all of the facts about what the ocean presents for us have already been stated—50 percent of the world’s oxygen emanates from the sea…” As a result, he stated that “the establishment of a global convention treaty would ensure that those illegal marine activities are dealt with.”
Source: TheBBCghana.Com
