A team from the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and the Fisheries Commission has delivered closed season relief items for distribution to fisher groups in the Volta Region.
The food and non-food items included 2,620 bags of rice, 2,052 cartons of cooking oil, 426 bundles of wire mesh, 132 chest freezers and 1,308 pieces of basin meant for both fishers and fish processors.
The 2022 closed season relief items as promised by the government saw an improvement on the 2021 items which included 1,220 bags of rice, 180 cartons of cooking oil and 30 approved fishing nets for distribution at the 48 fish landing beaches across the three coastal districts in the region.
Mr Moses Anim, the Deputy Sector Minister, who led the team to hand over the items to the beneficiaries at Keta, said the donation was a demonstration of the current administration’s commitment to the welfare of fishers and their dependants in the region and across the country.
He called for strict compliance with the closed season directive, saying, fishers had a role to play in preserving the fishery industry and that the objective for implementing the seasonal closure was to avoid the overexploitation of the resource by allowing time for the fish stock to replenish.
Madam Ruby Adukpo, member, Volta Region Chapter, National Fish Processors and Traders Association, expressed gratitude to the government for making provisions for them and said the donated items would greatly support their work.
The 2022 closed season which took effect from July 01 is being observed till July 31 by artisanal and semi-industrial fishers with industrial fishers observing theirs till August 31.
