The Greater Accra Regional Small Pelagic Co-Management Committee (GARSPCC) has raised concerns over a recent increase in the price of pre-mix fuel, warning that higher fuel costs could increase pressure on fishers to resort to illegal fishing practices.
In a statement issued and signed by Reuben Jefferson Daker Ocansey, Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Small Pelagic Co-Management Committee and CaFGOAG on October 1, the Committee said the increase had been implemented without what it described as adequate prior stakeholder engagement.
According to the GARSPCC, the higher cost of fuel could put fishers under financial pressure because of the significant investment required for fishing trips.
“When a fisher goes to sea with a very high cost of fuel, he is bent on returning home with something at all costs,” the Committee said, adding that such pressure could push some fishers to use illegal fishing methods to recover their investment.
The Committee also criticised what it described as a departure from previous stakeholder consultation processes for determining pre-mix fuel prices.
It said that until 2023, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) engaged stakeholders before adjustments were made to the price of pre-mix fuel.
The GARSPCC said the current approach, where fishers are informed of price increases through fisheries platforms after the decision has been made, does not reflect the principles of co-management.
The Committee further said fishing communities, particularly in Tema, had expressed concerns over the latest increase, with some fisherfolk saying they could no longer bear the cost of going to sea.
It warned that if the higher pre-mix fuel price is maintained, the cost of fish could increase, potentially adding to the financial burden on fishing communities and consumers.
The GARSPCC has therefore called on the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development to intervene and restore broad stakeholder consultations before any future upward adjustment of pre-mix fuel prices.
The Committee said such consultations would be consistent with the principles of co-management in Ghana’s fisheries sector.
