Election Year, Directives and the Manomas: Implications For Fisheries Management In Ghana.
Background
Fishing in coastal communities in Ghana is not just an occupation, it's a way of life. Every activity in fishing communities relies on fishing. That is what sustains every economic activity in these communities and so as catches decline, economic life in these communities begins to gasp for air - the money that fishing brings. The government of Ghana through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) recognises this all-important sector and the need for change to sustain it. With this understanding, the Fisheries Commission of MoFAD created the momentum for change through the release of the Republic of Ghana Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector Development Plan (2011–2015) and the National Marine Fisheries Management Plan (NMFMP). Both plans acknowledge that Ghana’s fisheries are falling well short of providing sustainable benefits for the 2.7 million people that depend on the resource for their daily survival.
The international communities also acknowledge the vital role fish play not only as a livelihood but also its food security implication and they have shown their commitment to sustaining this important natural resource through their aid organisations such as AusAID, USAID, DFID and FAO just to mention but a few. Since 2009 USAID has invested in coastal projects in Ghana - Integrated Coastal and Fisheries Governance (ICFG) Initiative (2009 - 2013); Coastal Sustainable Landscape Project (2014 - 2016); Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (2014 - 2019) - to manage and sustain fish resource in Ghana. The government of Ghana, together with the World Bank have also developed West African Regional Fisheries Program project for Ghana. This critical mass built in seeing the sector reformed and revitalised provides a unique opportunity that we must work together to sustain.
The international communities also acknowledge the vital role fish play not only as a livelihood but also its food security implication and they have shown their commitment to sustaining this important natural resource through their aid organisations such as AusAID, USAID, DFID and FAO just to mention but a few. Since 2009 USAID has invested in coastal projects in Ghana - Integrated Coastal and Fisheries Governance (ICFG) Initiative (2009 - 2013); Coastal Sustainable Landscape Project (2014 - 2016); Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (2014 - 2019) - to manage and sustain fish resource in Ghana. The government of Ghana, together with the World Bank have also developed West African Regional Fisheries Program project for Ghana. This critical mass built in seeing the sector reformed and revitalised provides a unique opportunity that we must work together to sustain.
Directives and Manomas In Fisheries
It's 2016, an election year in Ghana and the year of the Manomas. Winning an election is all about numbers and these numbers abound on the coast. An estimated 10% of the population lives here and that is a gold mine for the politicians. Gold we know has the ability to temporal insanity and cause one to act inhumanly. Subsidies in various forms are extended to fishing communities during election year under the pretence of helping fishermen but we all know it is usually a tool to mine the number gold in these communities.
Ghana sees (with data from history) ineffective law enforcement in fisheries during the election year and political foot-soldiers take the law into their own hands and act with impunity whilst politicians turn a blind eye provided what the foot-soldiers do brings in the votes.
Knowing they can operate with impunity and politicians will turn a blind eye, a foot-soldier led a charge to the Fisheries Commission in Western Region last week (18 Jan 2016) to demand the release of generators seized from fishermen fishing with light aggregation devices (which is, by the way, illegal under the Fisheries Act 625 and amended Act 880). One will still want to ask: On what authority does a foot soldier march a bunch of fishermen to the Fisheries Commission in Western Region all the way from the Central Region to ask the Director of Fisheries to release seized generators? The answer according to the foot-soldier in question: "a verbal directive from the office of the president."
Before I continue, I must commend the Fisheries Commission Director for his excellent leadership as always. He did not bulge to such threat and bogus directive! Bravo!
This cannot be allowed to happen as long as the constitution of Ghana remains supreme.
Ghana sees (with data from history) ineffective law enforcement in fisheries during the election year and political foot-soldiers take the law into their own hands and act with impunity whilst politicians turn a blind eye provided what the foot-soldiers do brings in the votes.
Knowing they can operate with impunity and politicians will turn a blind eye, a foot-soldier led a charge to the Fisheries Commission in Western Region last week (18 Jan 2016) to demand the release of generators seized from fishermen fishing with light aggregation devices (which is, by the way, illegal under the Fisheries Act 625 and amended Act 880). One will still want to ask: On what authority does a foot soldier march a bunch of fishermen to the Fisheries Commission in Western Region all the way from the Central Region to ask the Director of Fisheries to release seized generators? The answer according to the foot-soldier in question: "a verbal directive from the office of the president."
Before I continue, I must commend the Fisheries Commission Director for his excellent leadership as always. He did not bulge to such threat and bogus directive! Bravo!
The implication of such an action on fisheries enforcement
Fisheries enforcement has come a long way since the enactment of the Fisheries Act in 2002 and the LI 1968 in 2010. Ghana has done a lot to put its house in order after the yellow card was issued to the fisheries sector in 2015. Establishment of Fisheries Enforcement Unit (FEU); section of the Fisheries Act has been amended to put stiffer punishment on Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and currently a complete review of the Fisheries Act is all part of the effort geared towards sustaining the sector. with all these efforts by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), what do such an act of impunity and so-called directive from the seat of power mean to enforcement efforts in fisheries? Two critical points readily come to mind:
- a possible red card from the EU: A red card means we can no longer export our fish to any EU market. That means a lot of businesses will collapse and the poverty we are trying to reduce in coastal communities will worsen.
- endangering the life of enforcement officers: FEU and other bodies designated to police fisheries can no longer carry out their duties because of the lawlessness the situation will create. Their life will be at risk as they are likely to face attacks in the fishing communities and politicians will turn a blind eye once the vote is assured.
What do we do?
- Fishermen and women must understand that politicians will come and go but their livelihood will remain (that is, if they don't destroy the resources themselves by continually engaging in unsustainable methods of harvesting) and they must safeguard it from unnecessary political interference. They can only do this when they carry a united front and say no to illegal fishing and politicisation of the fisheries sector.
- Civil Societies Organisations (CSOs) must be proactive and bring every attempt by politicians to needlessly meddle in the affairs of fisheries to public notice. Politicians listen to numbers.
- Politicians must respect the laws that govern our nation and know that it is constant and does not change in election years or when it suits them. The only time this changes is when parliament approves a change.
Our Coast! Our Future!
Comments
Post a Comment