The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) has received official communication from the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture (MOFAD) confirming that it will implement a fishery closed season in its EEZ from July to August 2023.
Specifically, the annual season of fishery closure will hold from 1 – 31 July 2023 for the artisanal fleet, and 1 July – 31 August 2023 for the industrial fleet.
Over the period, all FCWC Member States are being encouraged to support the closed season and consider implementing closed seasons around the same time, to mitigate the potential migration of fishers and vessels into their EEZs.
FCWC Member States are urged to exercise vigilance in their MCS activities to support Ghana’s closed season and to share information with the FCWC Secretariat and the Regional MCS Centre on any illegal fisheries activities observed during this period.
Ghana’s fisheries closed season is part of a regional fisheries management measure to protect the environment, ensure the conservation of marine life, secure the sustainability of our oceans and the well-being of the people and communities that depend on them.