The Western Regional Branch of the Hook and Line Fishermen Association (HLFA) has bemoaned the illegal  activities of pair trawling, which it says is killing their business.

HLFA has called on government to intervene as some Koreans operating on  Ghanaian waters have depleted the fish stock including fingerlings.

Speaking at a press conference at Sekondi, Mr Eric Tetteh, spokesperson  for the association pointed out that apart from depleting fish stock at sea, the Korean pair trawling fishermen had also refused to fish within areas specified for them on the high Sea and rather sailed down coast to areas reserved for  members of HLFA  thereby making it difficult for them to make any catch.

Mr Tetteh alleged that despite the ban on pair trawling, Korean fishermen were practising it with impunity because they claimed to have been re-registered.

To help curb the situation, they appealed to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture to re-inforce the ban on the use of pair trawling for fishing in the country to protect the fish stock and improve fish production.

The spokesman suggested that the Korean fishermen should only be permitted to operate single trawlers with single netting and operate within the areas specified for them on the high Sea.

Touching on the sale of premix fuel, Mr Tetteh explained that sometime in 2015, government directed that 53 per cent of revenue realised from the sale of premix should be used by the landing beach committee to undertake development projects in their respective fishing communities.

He said part of the funds were used to establish school blocks, Teachers quarters. Places of convenience, bath houses, sheds and the registration of more than 500 people with the NHIA.

He however expressed concern that with the new government coming into office, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture without any explanation had transferred the 53 percent revenue from the Landing Beach Committee to an account at the Ministry.

Mr Tetteh therefore called on the Ministry to explain to them to know the account number the 53 per cent revenue was being paid into and for what purpose.

"This explanation would go a long way to ensure probity accountability and transparency' he added.

He also expressed worry about the replacement of members of the various Landing Beach Committees with new members who were not into fishing.

According to him the new committee members were made up of pupil teachers, Drivers, security guards, food vendors, lotto writers, drinking bar operators among others who had no knowledge about fishing.

"This action is an insult to fishermen and we wish to ask why the activities of fishermen should rather be managed by these people ".

He appealed to the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture to dissolve all the Landing Beach Committees within one month in order to ensure peace and tranquillity in the fishing industry and asked that the process of reconstituting the Landing Beach Committee Members should begin with consultation and active involvement of all stakeholders in the fishing industry.

Present at the press conference was Mr Joseph Adotey, western region chairman of Hook and Line fishermen Association and some fishmongers and fishermen

By Fiifi Abdul Malik