Sunday, February 28, 2010

FOREIGN VESSEL ARRESTED FOR ILLEGAL FISHING (BACK PAGE, FEB 16, 2010)

A FOREIGN vessel with four Chinese and 25 Ghanaians on board has been seized by the Ghana Navy for illegally fishing in restricted Ghanaian waters.
The vessel, Awo Yaa 2, was intercepted at Elmina last Friday and is currently detained at the Home Port of the Western Naval Command in Sekondi.
According to Commodore Tim Appiah of the Western Naval Command, the vessel would be handed over to the Western Regional Fisheries Commission for the next line of action.
Commodore Appiah said the command would do everything possible to ensure that foreign vessels complied with the law forbidding fishing in the restricted areas of Ghana’s waters.
He recalled that a few weeks ago, a vessel belonging to the same fishing company was arrested committing the same offence.
That case, he said, was still pending at the Fisheries Commission.
Commodore Appiah said the 30-metre contour was a reserved zone for local canoe fishermen and a “no go area” for foreign industrial vessels, which cause serious damage to small canoes.
To check the foreign vessels, the command has launched “Operation Stock Control”, which is targeted at the bigger vessels and those practising pair trawling.

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