GOOD CATCH FOR TEMA FISHERMEN (SPREAD)

Fishermen in Tema yesterday made some modest gains at sea and described the situation as encouraging signs that things were changing for the better after a long period of poor harvest.
They landed average size herrings and salmon, among other species and wished that it continued to enable them to have a good season.
Fish mongers were busy bargaining for the fish while the fishermen dragged away their net for drying, when the Daily Graphic visited the canoe beach at the Tema Fishing Harbour.
The Chief Fisherman, Nii Armah Kwei, told the news team that each canoe had at least 100 crates of fish.
He, however, declined to comment on whether their gains had anything to do with a reduction in the practice of pair trawling by bigger vessels. He, however, said the leadership of the fishermen were meeting with officials of the Ministry of Fisheries over certain pertinent issues concerning the sector. He noted that the fishermen had already had series of meetings with the ministry and expressed the hope that the response would yield positive results for the sector.
Interviews conducted by the Daily Graphic revealed that over the past four years, the fishing season had been lean and then with occasional good harvest that lasted for only a short while.
Those interviewed felt the big vessels were withdrawing from their activities, which hindered the work of the local fishermen, and refuted the allegation that they used light at sea.
The fishmongers rushed for the fish and were optimistic that the cost of fish would come down, if the season continued as it did yesterday. In an earlier chat with an elder at the fishing harbour, Attah Anum Gbegbemi, he said there were more than 500 canoes at the beach.
He said they had for the past four years not had any constant catch at the canoe beach and blamed it on pair trawling and use of light in fishing.
Nii Gbegbemi claimed that the introduction of scientific fishing methods would need time to catch up with the indigenous fishermen because they had the expertise in local fishing.
For the first time in a long while, plastic crates were found filled with fish for sale to the fishmongers.