Assemblyman, two others arrested for non-compliance to fishing closed season

The police and navy team from the Fishing Enforcement Unit (FEU), Marine Headquarters in Tema, has arrested some three persons for engaging in prohibited fishing. 

The suspects, Mr Seth Abelia, Assembly member for Avedzi and Teshie Electoral Area, Mr Agbesi Atisu and Mr Attitso Attitsogbui were arrested at about 1500 hours on Wednesday, July 12 when the FEU team was at Aflao to observe compliance of the ongoing fishing closed season which took effect from July 01. 

Checks by the Ghana News Agency, showed that when the team got to Abeliakope, a suburb of Aflao, they saw the arrival of a canoe named Holy FM with registration number VR-KS-086-AVM with a fish catch, but the crew members fled to escape arrest. 

The GNA also gathered that the three suspects later showed up as owners of the canoe and were arrested and had been sent to the Marine Headquarters in Tema to help in investigations. 

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in collaboration with the Fisheries Commission directed artisanal and inshore fleets to observe the one-month closed season while industrial fleets observed two months. 

The closed season directive aims to avoid over-exploitation of the fishery resource and to allow the fish stock to replenish to avert the possible collapse of the fishing industry due to depleted stock. 

Visits by the GNA to some beaches during the first week of the directive showed that, fishers were complying with the directive as they hanged up their gears awaiting the lifting of the ban in August. 

Source: GNA