Enroll young fishermen in school — Ghana Tuna Association to Fisheries Ministry

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The Ghana Tuna Association (GTA) has urged the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture and other stakeholders to ensure that fishermen aged below 15-years are enrolled in school.

Mr. Richster Nii Armarh Amarfio, GTA Secretary who is also a Fisheries Advocate said there was the need to put such children engaged in fishing activities back to school to acquire some basic education to enable those of them with an interest in fishing to take up the profession with the needed skills and knowledge.

He added that it would also serve as a management tool that would reduce the huge numbers of artisanal fishers in the industry who were chasing the fewer fish in the country’s waters.

Mr. Amarfio was speaking at the Ghana News Agency-Tema Regional Office’s monthly stakeholder seminar as monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema.

“Put the young people into the classroom, teach them Arithmetic’s, English and Environmental studies, and let them understand the environment, after that those who want can be moved out and those who want fishing, understand that what they are doing can be managed.”

He said in addition to that, some form of insurance could be put in place using part of the premix fuel subsidies to create some retirement package for the elderly fishermen.

Mr. Amarfio said this would provide some livelihood for them and serve as an incentive to get them to embark on voluntary retirements after turning 50 years instead of being inactive fishing till their death.

He added this with these two groups of people taken care of through schooling and retirement packages, the numbers of fishers would reduce drastically leaving more fish to be caught by the active ones.

He disclosed that the current issue of having over 14,000 canoes as against the needed 5,000 chasing the depleting fish stock was part of the reasons why fisher-folks were among the poor population of Ghana.

He said everyone was running into the fishing industry which was free for all as there were no alternatives for their livelihood and therefore called for a resilient and sustainable management system for the fishing and maritime industry.

Touching on the training of professionals to take up crew positions for vessels, the Fisheries Advocate said the Regional Maritime University (RMU) had stopped training such professionals leaving the country without skilled seamen, and therefore vessel owners had to depend on foreigners to operate.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, GNA Tema Regional Manager on his part explained that the engagement is a progressive media caucus platform created to allow both state and non-state stakeholders to interact with journalists and address national issues.

He said modern journalism practices demand a comprehensive dynamic approach to issues that affects society, through which the media must provide a platform for proactive engagement and exchange of ideas towards shaping national development.

Mr. Ameyibor noted in that respect the GNA-Tema operations now hinge more on partnership and advocacy journalism which focuses on providing a platform for citizens to share key information needed to make the best possible decisions about national issues, and community development, protection of society and enhance governance.

“We have progressed from docile journalistic practices where media practitioners depend solely on projecting agenda set by others. Journalists cannot claim to be agenda setters when they are only mirroring what someone wants them to project,” he said.

Mr. Ameyibor noted; “We cannot deny the fact that the old analogue way of news gathering has long passed; news gathering and dissemination cannot wait for two seconds, we are in the fast lane, traditional media practitioners must catch up with the fast-moving new media news train to remain relevant”.

Other speakers include Mr. Irwin Cofie, SIC Insurance Deputy Head of Marketing; Mrs. Cunthia Kwarten Tufuor SIC Tema Area Manager; Ms. Cunthia Twumasi, Deputy Area Manager; Mrs. Doris Gorman, Tema Municipal Director of Information Service Department and Mr. Gilbert Sam, Administrator of the Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association.