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Madam Hawa Koomson, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development symbolically locked the sea on June 1 at Elmina to mark the start of the close season for fishing.
The ‘Close Season’ for fishing will spn between Saturday, July 1, to Tuesday, August 31.
She led the government delegation that joined the chiefs and people of Elmina in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipality of the Central Region, for the colourful ceremony.
In a video shared on her official Facebook page, the governent delegation observes as traditional rites are performed close to the shore as a linguist pours libation and invokes the gods of the sea.
The Minister accompanied by the chiefs and other stakeholders proceed to the edge of the sea where she is handed a symbolic giant key which she uses to “lock” the sea.
According to the Ministry, inshore fishers will observe the closed season from Saturday, July 1 to Monday, August 31, industrial trawlers would observe it from July 1 to Thursday, August 31.
The term “closed season” also known as “biological rest period”, refers to the stopping of fishing activities during the spawning period to help replenish the stock.
Closed season is observed as a way of reducing fishing pressure on stocks when they are most productive, in terms of allowing the fish a chance to lay their eggs to replace the lost population due to fishing and other natural causes.
Globally, closed seasons are considered one of the key fisheries management procedures to help protect fish stocks and increase their population.
For the first time since Ghana started implementing the Closed Season in 2016, the country is doing it together with Cote d’Ivoire and Togo while Benin will join in 2024.
