Food items from the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mavis Hawa Koomson, to fishermen in Elmina, have been rejected in anger.
The fishermen say that they are unhappy with the decision by the minister to stop them from engaging in light fishing – a process of fishing that attracts fish by hooking, gill-netting, or by any other gear, upon the resumption of the fishing season, reports myjoyonline.com.
This could be done through the use of a fire torch, pressure kerosene lamp, gas-lit lamp or battery, or generator-assisted incandescent lamps.
It has been established by experts in the industry that such practices are unfriendly to the growth of the fishing industry but the fishermen at Elmina disagree.
They insist that without it, the business of fishing for them will be greatly affected.
It is for this reason that they believe that their livelihoods will be impacted negatively, and for which reason, they rejected the food items brought to them by the sector minister.
It is expected that on the dawn of Sunday, August 1, 2021, the ban on fishing will be lifted and the fisherfolk maintain that the stance by the minister on light fishing is problematic.
The fishermen, the report added, explained that with the depletion of resources they use in fishing, this new arrangement will further devastate their lives and send them into hunger.
Besides, they added, Mavis Hawa Koomson has not shown enough concern towards their welfare since the season was closed nearly a month now, and to be seen to now be coming to offer them anything is not welcome.
Booing and shouting “Yengye oo, yengye ooo,” to wit, “we will not collect,” the angry fishermen turned the minister and her entourage, along with their packed bags of rice and gallons of cooking oil, away.
Embarrassed, the team packed back their items and left, and not even the intervention of the Omanhen of the Edina Traditional Area, Nana Kwodwo Conduah, change the situation.
“We have endured the closed season with its attendant hunger and other difficulties. It is not today that the season was almost over three days that she is bringing us food,” one of the fishermen told this portal.
