Greenpeace welcomes Ghana's decision to fight overfishing

Greenpeace has welcomed reports that the Ghanaian government has decided to fight vigorously against rampant looting and overfishing; and has subsequently imposed a fine of US$3.1 million on 10 companies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and trans-shipment activities.

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"Greenpeace welcomes the decision by the Ghanaian government to put a stop to these rampant IUU activities at sea that are in violation of national and international sea and fisheries regulations. This crucial decision is a big step towards ensuring that Ghana's already-fragile fishery sources are managed in a better way," said Greenpeace Africa's Oceans Campaigner Marie Suzanne Traore.

"We also acknowledge Ghana's announcement that they intend to rigorously monitor fishing vessels in their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Their intention to undertake research on the state of fish stocks next month is also a welcome step towards putting an end to over-exploitation of their resources," added Traore.

"Last year Senegal cancelled 29 illegal fishing licenses, and now Ghana has followed. It's time for all the West African governments to work together towards joint responsibility and management of our precious fishery resources," she concludes.