Ghana.- As part of efforts to attract more investments into Ghana’s budding cage farming industry, the Fisheries Commission has gone all-out to developed the much awaited zonation maps which spells out areas most suitable for cage farming.
At a stakeholders’ workshop in Accra on Thursday, January 18, 2018, Hon. Francis Kinsley Ato Codjoe, the Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, said, investors will no longer have to struggle in identifying best places to site their farms.
The Deputy Minister, who doubles as the MP for Ekumfi, indicated that the attainment of this great milestone has been driven by government’s quest to provide adequate fish and jobs to Ghanaians while reducing the excessive pressure on Ghana’s marine fisheries resources.
He explained that Ghana’s Fisheries Management Plan has been put in place with an objective of ensuring the exploitation of Ghana’s marine resources within biologically acceptable levels. He said the declaration of closed season for the artisanal fisheries sector is a demonstration of government’s commitment to the regenerating the fast depleting fish stocks.
He expressed optimism of providing adequate fish and jobs through cage farming and urged potential investors to make the most out of the zonation maps.
The workshop which was aimed at disseminating information on the zoning of the Volta Lake, brought together stakeholders from the CSIR, Ghana Maritime Authority, Water Resources Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Volta River Authority, KNUST, University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology among others.
The various Stakeholders express their appreciation to the World Bank- funded West Africa Regional Fisheries Project for funding this much awaited zonation exercise.
A Senior Research Scientist from CSIR-Water Research Institute, Dr. Ruby Asmah, pointed out how the maps can help government in siting relevant infrastructure and market access points to create an enabling environment for cage farming.
Director of Fisheries Commission, Michael Arthur-Dadzie, advised fish farmers to comply with the relevant regulations to safeguard the health of the fish they are culturing.
