The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), Mavis Hawa Koomson has sworn in 11 new board members of the Fisheries Commission.
The appointment is in accordance with section 4 of the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625).
The Minister during the swearing in of the 11-member board in Accra on Thursday, September 16, 2021, stated that illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing remained a major challenge for the sector, and thus, tasked members to institute measures to help address the hazard.
Mrs Koomson also charged the “board to prepare and keep under continual review, plans for the Management and Development of Fisheries in waters under the jurisdiction of Ghana”.
In furtherance, Awutu Senya East Lawmaker said the fisheries sector played a critical role in the socio-economic development of the country as it provided a livelihood for more than three million Ghanaians.
The government’s vision, she said was to transform and grow the aquaculture sub-sector to increase domestic fish production, reduce fish import and create job opportunities along the value chain by providing a conducive environment.
Key initiatives being undertaken to achieve this includes the implementation of the Aquaculture for Food and Jobs (AFJ), improving the production and supply of good quality fingerlings provision of extension services, provision of infrastructure (hatcheries) and essential aquaculture inputs, she added.
She revealed that in the coming days, the Ministry would distribute over seventeen thousand bags of feed to beneficiaries of AFJ programme to boost production.
Hawa Koomson therefore urged board members to “establish priorities for the utilization of fishery resources which will provide the greatest benefits to the country, and ensure the proper conservation of the fishery resources through the prevention of overfishing”.
The Fisheries Commission Board is chaired by Prof. Francis K. E. Nunoo, the Head of the Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, University of Ghana.
Other members include Dr Michael Arthur-Dadzie, Esq., Director, Fisheries Commission; Mr Kofi Asumadu Apenteng, Ministry of Transport; Commodore Godwin Livinus Bessing from the Defence Ministry; Mrs Lydia I. Essuah, Ministry of Environment and Nana Jojo Solomon, Ghana Marine Fishing Officers Association, Dr Ruby Asmah, Water Research Institute; Mr Wilson Kwabena Darkwah, Ghana Irrigation Development Authority; Mr Stephen Adjokatcher, National Fisheries Association (Artisanal Fishermen); Mrs Levina Owus; National Fisheries Association( Fishing Vessel Owners) and Mr Augustine Acheampong Otoo, President’s nominee.
The Fisheries Commission is an agency under the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), established by an Act of Parliament (Act 457) in 1993.
They are responsible for all monitoring, control, surveillance, evaluation, and compliance functions in all areas of fisheries development and management in Ghana, including fish health, post-harvest activities, safety, and quality assurance.