I’ll ban pair trawling – Nana Addo

The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has promised to ban pair trawling and other illegal fishing methods when voted into power.

According to him, the problem has persisted because of the lack of political will to end it.

Nana Addo’s statement follows recent complaints by fishermen about the threats to their livelihood as a result of illegal fishing practices.

Nana Addo who was interacting with fishermen at Elmina in Central Region assured that an NPP government will not delay in taking decisions on such matters.

“If you give me your mandate, we are going to have the courage to make the decision of banning pair trawling in our waters. If we don’t, by the time we leave this earth, the marine stocks would have been depleted. We met something; we must protect it for future generations.”

He also said his party will among other initiatives to ensure that the fishing industry is saved from collapse adding that the Fisheries Management Committees established by the Kufuor government to oversee fishing activities in the country would be restored.

“We are going to restore the Fisheries Management Committees. They will operate, as originally conceived, under the leadership of the Chief Fishermen, so that the issues of premix fuel and outboard motors will be under the direct control of the fishermen,” he said.

On their part, the fishermen complained about the high prices of fishing inputs under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

They cited the price of outboard motors, which they say was close to three thousand cedis in 2008; but now sells at twelve thousand cedis.

They also alleged that premix fuel is mostly sold to members of the NDC, leaving other fishermen worse off.

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