TEMA FISHERMEN APPEAL TO GPHA (PAGE 18, MAY 21, 2010)

Fishermen at the Tema Fishing Harbour canoe beach have appealed to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to heed their call and replace the over 40-year-old net mending wharf, which has become a death-trap at the beach.
According to them, they presently mend their net at unauthorised areas, where vehicles run on the lanes and fishmongers also conducted their businesses, posing inconvenience to the fishermen.
The Chief Fisherman, Nii Odametey, told the Daily Graphic at Tema, that a team of engineers from the GPHA and the TMA visited and inspected the wharf to assess the situation but nothing had been done on the approaches to the wharf.
He explained that the wharf was specially built to help make possible the mending and fixing of nets in a more professional manner.
Nii Odametey noted that during fish seasons, people thronged the beach and there was no space left for the fishermen to conduct their business.
He blamed the destruction of their nets on the state of the wharf and appealed to the authorities to come to their aid.
Nii Odametey said the canoe beach in Tema had over 500 resident canoes in addition to visiting ones, which migrate from other regions for fishing expedition in Tema.
He stated that fish was scarce and fishermen travelled long distances in search of it resulting in the migration of the visiting fishermen.
Nii Odametey said fishermen were expecting the season to start in June and prayed that things would get better than the previous two seasons when they experienced poor catch.
He noted that regular and sufficient supply of the premix fuel could contribute to their ability to navigate long distances in search of fish and keep longer at sea.
Nii Odametey called on Parliament to pass the law prohibiting the use of light at sea, adding that the absence of the law had encouraged people to continue with the practice with impunity.
He was of the view that if steps were not taken to stop the bigger vessels from the use of the light at sea, there would be low catch the season.
Nii Odametey explained that if the use of light was not checked, fishermen using canoes, who supply fish to feed local consumers, would not be able to compete with the bigger vessels which use light.
He was optimistic that if all inputs were provided, the fishermen would strive to produce sufficient during the expected season.
A source at the GPHA confirmed that a team of engineers had assessed the state of the wharf at the canoe beach but could not tell when work would start.
The source said an amount of US$4 million dollars would be needed to rebuild the wharf, noting the Board of Directors were yet to meet to approve the project for international bidding because of its foreign component.
The Public Relations Officer of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Frank Asante, said the Assembly was collaborating with the GPHA to place notices of caution at the wharf area to ward off people who would under-estimate the danger that it posed.