Citing the establishment of the National Aquaculture Centre as evidence, The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Madam Hawa Koomson has stated that the nation is creating creative and long-lasting answers to the problems facing the fisheries and aquaculture industries.
The scope of training encompasses production, farm management, fish health, feed formulation, and processing for the youth to take up aquaculture as a viable enterprise.
Also, the Ministry has introduced tarpaulin tanks for fish farming and a re-circulatory aquaculture system.
The technology has low water usage, is energy efficient and easy to harvest fish.
At an awards ceremony to conclude the 39th National Farmers’ Day Celebration in Tarkwa, Western Region, Mrs. Mavis Hawa Koomson, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, said that the goal was to guarantee that all fish farmers could have high-quality feed at a reasonable price.
She further indicated that Ghana and Norway are collaborating to enhance the production of fish feed produced on farms with locally sourced feed ingredients.
By the end of 2028, Ghana’s fish farming production is expected to have increased by 136%, from 89,376 tonnes to 211,697 tonnes, according to the country’s new Aquaculture Development Plan.
She said that because there are many reliable sources of fish feed components in the nation, the collaboration with Norway will have a big impact on the production of aquaculture there.
It is expected that the actions taken by the government would significantly lower the cost of raising cultured fish, increasing fish producers’ profit margin.
Although there are several readily accessible locally made and imported feeds on the market, most small pond farmers find them to be pricey and choose to use their custom-formulated feeds to avoid the issue.
Positive outcomes, according to the Minister, are being produced by the ministerial order on trawl gear standards.
As a result, fewer immature and tiny pelagic fish are being caught by industrial trawlers.
According to Ms. Koomson, to maintain fish consumption per person, the government gave aquaculture high emphasis.
According to her, the objective was to close the gap in the nation’s fish needs to guarantee fish supply for both the present and the future.
The demand for fish in the area has outpaced supply due to several factors, including overfishing to address fleet overcapacity and lessen fishing pressure on fisheries resources. As a result, the government imposed a three-year moratorium on new canoe entrants. Marine development experts report that fish populations in Ghana are seriously declining.
During that time, this would be reviewed once a year.
