Source: EJF
EU consumers are inadvertently supporting illegal practices and severe overfishing in Ghana’s waters, a new report by EJF has concluded. Industrial trawlers authorised to export to the EU have been linked to illegal foreign ownership and implicated in the use of prohibited nets, fishing in the exclusion zone reserved for small-scale canoe fishers, and the illegal ‘saiko’ trade.
In 2013, the European Commission issued Ghana with a ‘yellow card’ – a formal warning over illegal fishing that can lead to import bans to the EU – this was lifted in 2015 as a result of new legislation and a clear fisheries management plan. However, while these policies are well constructed, there are worrying indications that they are not being fully implemented or enforced, says EJF.
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