THE Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture has warned that fishermen who continue to use unapproved fishing nets to harvest juvenile fish will face prosecution.

According to the Ministry, some fishing communities were flouting the law by using mesh sizes as small as 5mm to catch juvenile and young adult fish species, far below the mandated minimum size of 25mm.

The Chief Director of the Ministry, Dr Mariam W.A. Kpakpa, announced this in Accra yesterday during the presentation of the fishing gear audit report for Ghana’s artisanal and inshore fisheries sector.

The report, conducted by Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa in collaboration with the Fisheries Commission, revealed increasing use of unapproved nets, including purse seines, gill nets, entangling nets, trawls, beach seines and poli-sieve nets contrary to existing regulations.

Dr Kpakpa acknowledged that implementing reforms in the sector takes time but stressed that the audit findings make decisive enforcement unavoidable. She said the report was timely and would help advance efforts to regulate the sector, noting that non-compliance remains widespread.

A member of the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council, Mr Mike Abakah-Edu, agreed that although some fishermen continue to use unapproved nets, sustained education is essential. He cautioned that it would be inappropriate for the ministry to arrest and prosecute offenders without first ensuring they understand that such practices are illegal.

Mr Abakah-Edu, therefore, appealed to the ministry to allow the council time to sensitise its members before task forces are deployed to enforce compliance in fishing communities.

Dr Eric Cobbinah, Deputy Executive Director of the Fisheries Commission, explained that despite the ban on monofilament nets in marine environments, they remain the most commonly used material in the artisanal fisheries sector for constructing gill and entangling nets. He noted that this category of nets is the largest in Ghana’s artisanal fisheries, accounting for 5,749 units.

“While the artisanal fishery in Ghana does not produce bycatch or discards, the high catch rate of monofilament nets compared to multifilament nets of the same size is concerning. This is especially problematic given the widespread use of this gear under suboptimal conditions, which could lead to significant fish catches and a lack of adherence to fisheries regulations,” he explained.

The field study examined major gear types, including static gears such as entangling, trammel and set nets; encircling gears like purse seine nets (Poli, Watsa); and towed or dragged gears such as trawl nets and beach seines.

The audit involved observation, measurement and documentation of gear modifications. Social data were also gathered through questionnaires, providing insights into local knowledge, demographic characteristics and challenges affecting voluntary compliance with fishing gear regulations.

BY BERNARD BENGHAN