Seafood plays an essential role in feeding the world’s growing population and the populations lead to healthy oceans.
It has been identified as a daunting task of the West African Region to form part of the solutions making a healthy ocean.
And health-wise, fish plays an important role in fighting hunger and malnutrition, it is not only a source of proteins and healthy fats but also a unique source of essential nutrients.
Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast among other West African countries are doubling up their efforts in the fight against Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing with a goal to ensure bio security and enhance transparency.
Against this backdrop, Civil Society Organizations working on improving Fisheries in Ghana and the wider West African region concluded a 3-day fisheries training workshop for journalists from across the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea ( FCWC ) Region in Ghana.
The training focused on apprising the participants on common fisheries issues, prospects within the region and enhance their reporting skills on fisheries in their respective countries.
At the training, the FCWC instrument and mechanisms were defined to identify opportunities ahead.
It is no secret that the west African region is ready to forge a plan to benefit from its seas, secure food for its people and get relief from the tremendous pressure the Region once fertile seas has suffered.
West African gorverments have been urged to take responsibility for IUU fishing happening under its jurisdiction, take control of vessels that fly their flag to ensure compliance with conservation and management of high seas fisheries.