The tides of fortune have shifted, and Moree, Ghana’s historic fishing community, located in the Central Region of the country now finds itself cast adrift in a sea of despair. Inappropriate fishing practices and politics have contributed greatly to the tragedy befalling the once vibrant fishing community.
This has left the fishermen in abject poverty.
The allocation of precious fishing gears and essential premix fuels has become a battleground of political loyalty. Those who openly support the opposition political party find themselves stranded, allegedly denied any priority when it comes to the distribution of these vital resources.
Yaw Boadu is a 49-year-old fisherman in Moree with five children. He told the Ghanaian Times during a visit to the community that the last six years have been very difficult for him and his family because of his inability to get more fishes from his expeditions.
Once a thriving fisherman, he said his wife, a fish monger, relied on him most times for the fishes she smoked for sale.
“We are both in the fish selling business, I fish and sell the fresh fishes while my wife gets the fish from me which she smokes for sale. If I do not get a good catch, it affects the whole family because this is our only means of livelihood. My colleague fishermen also have the same problem. The problem is persisting, and the partial distribution of fishing gears too has made it worst,” he added.
As the plentiful fish stock dwindles, fending for his family, he said gets harder, adding that the situation was quite different in the past.
Mr Boadu revealed that he now sells charcoal as an alternative means of livelihood and goes to fish occasionally.
Even with that, the fisherman said he is incapable of taking proper care of his children, the youngest being 11 years old.
The harsh reality is making him consider relocating to his hometown Winneba, also in the Central Region.
“I am thinking of returning to Winneba. That is where I was born but my parents came to stay in Moree 30 years ago and went back for visits only during festive occasions. I feel things might be better there that is why I want to move and stay permanently there with my family. We have a family house there so I can sell this chamber and hall I put up here during the good old fishing days and use the money to start a business in Winneba so that I can properly take care of my family,” he lamented.
This decision weighed heavily on the poor fisherman’s heart.
Once a provider for his family, he now must sometimes watch his children and wife go to bed hungry because he could not afford a three-square meal, it is either breakfast and supper or lunch for the day.
Just like Mr Amoah, Ekow Annan is also a fisherman in Moree struggling to make ends meet. He is appalled by the politicisation of the distribution of fishing gears saying he could not afford to buy a new fishing net due to financial constraints and was expecting to get one of the subsidised ones from government however his hopes dashed when he was told the gears that arrived had already been distributed to fishermen who are dedicated members of the ruling political party.
“This has sadly become the order of the day here in Moree. All the goodies for this period belong to only dedicated members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).”
“I cannot afford to buy a new fishing net and I cannot continue to hold on to the canoe because I rented it. Not being able to get an affordable fishing net means my family and several other families will go hungry because I do not go fishing alone. I have a group of young men who go with me so imagine the number of people being affected by this wickedness,” he lamented.
Another fisherman, Albert Baiden, told the Ghanaian Times that he stopped fishing two years ago to venture into carpentry “due to the never ending problems of fishermen here.”
The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has estimated that 70 per cent of the fish population worldwide is fully used, overused or in crisis.
This is a cause for worry and must put authorities on their toes to address the pressing needs in Ghana’s fisheries sector whiles finding means of restoring Moree’s lost glory by beginning with the depoliticisation of the distribution of fishing gears and make premix fuel readily available in the struggling fishing community.
Secretary of the Chief Fisherman in Moree, Mr Aloysius Aidoo, reacting to the plight of the fishermen confirmed the numerous challenges facing them and called on the government to ensure the prudent distribution of all fishing gears meant for fishermen in Moree, irrespective of their political affiliations.
He also expressed worry about the unavailability of premix fuel, saying it was also a contributory factor to the plight of the fishermen.
He is appealing to the government to as a matter of urgency help salvage the situation.
Unsustainable fishing practices have also been proven to drastically reduce fish populations. These detrimental practices not only damage the environment but also disrupt the livelihoods of fishing communities and impact the well-being of individuals who depend on fish for sustenance. The government has successfully banned practices including the trans-shipment of fish from industrial trawlers to canoes, popularly known as “saiko” and recently also placed a ban to new fishing canoes. These among others, are steps taken to promote sustainable fishing, however if the issue of politicisation of fishing gear distribution is not addressed the woes of poor fishermen who depend on such subsidised items and flexible modes of payments offered mostly through the government, will be compounded.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU